Sliding Doors
by ynnej2198
Summary: What might have happened if Emma never mentioned seeing Robin at the church the day Patrick and Sabrina were to be married? Author Note: Story will be updated. Keep checking back!
1. Chapter 1

What actually happened (through 3/2014)…

_Emma spied Robin in the church vestibule a second before Patrick and Sabrina were married. Although Patrick was torn between the two women, he ultimately decided on Christmas Eve 2013 that he wanted to spend his life with Robin. He broke up with Sabrina and went home to his wife while Sabrina tended to Carlos, who had just been shot by Sonny. On New Year's Eve, Sabrina discovered she was pregnant with Patrick's baby. Just as Felix spilled the beans to Patrick, Carlos found out and offered to claim the baby as his own so that Sabrina wouldn't break up Patrick's family. When confronted by Patrick, Sabrina took Carlos' out and lied that she had slept with him the night of the non-wedding, leaving Patrick both relieved and upset. However, when Emma accidentally overheard Sabrina discussing Patrick being the father of the baby, Sabrina back-peddled and told Patrick the truth. Patrick remained with Robin and agreed to co-parent the baby with Sabrina. _

What might have happened if Emma hadn't looked up at the exact moment Robin, about to leave the church, entered into the vestibule and Patrick and Sabrina had actually married?

Join me as we find out…

* * *

Author's Note: These chapters will likely range from 500-1,000 words; but, don't worry, that just means there will be more. Also, everything that happened up to the wedding on the show happened in this story. We pick up from there. You may see some plots from the show appear in the story post-wedding, but I wil be taking liberties. I hope you enjoy it!


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy: "Patrick, I believe that was your cue."

Patrick: Hesitates 8 seconds, looks at Sabrina and says "I do."

Lucy: "Good answer, Patrick." Chuckles.

Sabrina: Laughs and says in a relieved voice, "Very good answer."

Lucy: "And now, by the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you…"

Robin wanted so badly to stop the wedding, but there just never seemed to be a good time to do it and now, she thought as she stood crying in the vestibule, she had lost her chance. As turned over her shoulder and took one last look at the new family, she saw Emma looking up lovingly at Patrick and smiling. Robin slunk out of the church unseen and vowed to find a better, less public, time to tell Patrick and Emma she was still alive. As much as she hated it, Patrick loved Sabrina. Robin could let him go if she had to, but she would not sacrifice any more time with her precious daughter than was absolutely necessary. As she made her way back to Wyndermere, Robin decided to stay with Britt and Nic until she came up with a plan to let her family know she wasn't dead after all.

Patrick knew why he hesitated to say "I do" to Sabrina. He loved her and wanted to continue to build their life together, but letting go of Robin was a big final step, especially considering that his connection to her felt stronger than ever. Patrick resolved to put Robin out of his mind and focus on his new family. It warmed his heart to see Sabrina, who was being congratulated by their guests, so radiantly happy. The last few months had been rough on her as he struggled to let go of his past, especially with Carlos chattering doubts in her ear, so he hoped their relationship would re-solidify now that they were married and he was completely focused on her.

As they stood for pictures after signing the license with Lucy, Sabrina felt an immense sense of relief. She was so sure that Patrick would balk when he hesitated to say his "I do" earlier. Thanks to Carlos' machinations, Robin's birthday and several unexplained events involving Robin, Sabrina had been more doubtful than ever of Patrick's intentions despite his declarations of being ready to move on. Although Patrick said he loved her over and over, he just couldn't seem to really let Robin go and it hurt more than Sabrina would ever admit aloud. A small part of her still felt as if she was just a placeholder and that if there was any chance that Robin was alive, Patrick would leave her in the dust. Sometimes she thought Patrick was putting a Band-Aid (her) over a broken bone (Robin's death) and expecting it to heal. Fortunately, Sabrina knew that once Patrick said his vows, he meant them and that he would commit himself to making their marriage work regardless of his lingering feelings for Robin.

Emma sat at the table closest to the dance floor with Uncle Mac and Aunt Felicia and watched Sabrina and her daddy's first dance. Sabrina looked like a princess and daddy seemed happier than he had been since her mommy died. Emma missed her mommy, but loved Sabrina too for making her dad happy, so she decided to stay quiet when she thought she saw her mom in the church. She almost called out "Mommy!", but stopped herself when she looked up at her dad and saw him smiling at Sabrina. Emma figured that she was probably just imagining it anyway, so there was no reason to ruin her daddy's special day, right?


	3. Chapter 3

It had been two days since Patrick and Sabrina returned from their honeymoon and life was perfect. Patrick knew he had made the right decision in choosing to let go of Robin and move forward, fully, with Sabrina. After the wedding, Emma went home with Mac and Felicia after a few happy, but tearful, goodbyes, and they spent their wedding night at their house. He thought it would be weird to think of the house he shared with Robin as his and Sabrina's, but it wasn't. Sabrina had been practically living with him anyway, so it wasn't much of an adjustment to have her there full-time.

Their honeymoon flew by and neither one wanted to leave. There was an extra sense of peace in being in a place that wasn't full of memories of Robin or Patrick's life with her and they were able to focus on themselves and making their own memories to hold onto for the years ahead. Patrick often found himself watching Sabrina sleep and thanking God for bringing her into his life and, then, when she woke up, he would thank her for allowing him to be a part of her life – over and over again.

When they returned from their trip, they picked up Emma and headed home. After giving her the presents they'd bought her and telling her the G-rated details (of which Patrick was thankful there weren't many), they tucked her into bed for the first time as a family. Afterwards, he and Sabrina sat on the couch with a bottle of wine, completely relaxed and happy, making plans for their future together.

The next morning, as Sabrina was standing by the table filling Emma's backpack for school, Patrick snuck up behind her and kissed her neck in the sensitive spot she liked. "Good morning, Mrs. Drake," he said, joy in his voice.

Sabrina turned around, kissed him, and said, "I'll never get tired of hearing that."

"You'd better not because you're going to be hearing it for the rest of your life."

Sabrina playfully smacked him on his butt for his comment and he got the hint and sat down with his coffee and toast. Shortly thereafter, Emma bounded out of her room in a ball of excitement. She presented him and Sabrina with a picture she drew while they were away of the three of them as a family. He could tell that Sabrina was so touched by Emma's gesture that she was ready to ball, so he distracted Emma by making her get the rest of her things ready for school before Elizabeth arrived with Cameron and Spencer, who had stayed the night after a play date.

When Elizabeth arrived with the boys, she peppered them with questions about the honeymoon that Sabrina answered, happily, with the PG-13 version; but, by the wink Liz gave Patrick when Sabrina was finished, he knew that she had filled in the R-rated details on her own. As they talked, Emma and the boys chatted. Patrick was gathering his wallet, iPad and a few other items he needed for work when he heard Spencer say that he'd seen Emma's mom at Wyndermere. While that was enough to stop Patrick dead in his tracks, it was Emma's response that shocked him to his core: "No you didn't, Spencer. You probably just imagined her like I did the night of Daddy's wedding."

"_Emma Grace_, what did you just say?" Patrick fairly shouted, causing the room to go silent.

"What daddy?" she asked innocently.

"About your mother?"

"I saw her the night of your wedding to Sabrina. She was in the back of the church and seemed sad."

At that, Spencer added, "She was sad when I saw her, too."

Elizabeth chimed in and admonished Spencer for telling a fib that upset Emma. "I'm not fibbing, Aunt Elizabeth. I did see her. Dad told me not to go in the bedroom at the end of the hall, but I was curious and I did anyway." He pointed at the family photo of Patrick, Robin and Emma. "Emma's mom, the lady in the photo, was in there. She was crying."

"That's not possible…" Patrick whispered to himself.

Spencer continued, "Then, when I asked her why she was sad, she told me that she missed her family. Before I could ask her anything else, my dad came in and yelled me for not listening to him. He was _really mad_." Spencer then pouted and added, "I got grounded."

Reeling, Patrick looked at Sabrina, who simply said, "Go." He hugged Emma and gave Sabrina a quick kiss on his way out.

When he got to the island, Patrick furiously banged on the door; and, then barged in shouting "NICHOLAS!" when Alfred answered.

"Sir, he is in the great room on a call and is not to be disturbed…." When Patrick ignored him, the butler pleaded, "Sir, please…"

When Patrick opened the doors to the great room intending to give Nicholas a piece of his mind, he shouted "OH MY GOD!"


	4. Chapter 4

When Patrick entered the room, conversation ceased. The room was full of people, including Nicholas, Britt, baby Ben, Anna, Robert, Duke and…Robin. They seemed to be having a lovely time chatting over coffee and donuts before he barged in. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "Did I ruin the party? Should I come back later?"

Robin stood, "Patrick?! What are you doing here?"

Patrick took a deep breath. "What am _I_ doing here? The better question is 'What are _you_ doing here?' I mean, you're supposed to be dead and all…."

"Patrick, I…"

Before Robin could finish, Patrick addressed the room, "So, my wife is alive and none of you could be bothered to clue me in? I had to find out from Spencer...and Emma."

"Emma…" Robin answered in a whisper.

Patrick walked toward Robin. "Yeah, funny story, she saw you the night of _my wedding_ standing in the church vestibule."

"She saw me? Oh, God…"

Patrick shook his head in the affirmative, still having a hard time believing he was standing here having a conversation with his "dead" wife. "Yes, Robin, Emma saw you at the church but thought that she was imagining you like she did countless times before, so she didn't say anything." His anger dissipated and was replaced with weariness. "What is going on, Robin? How are you here right now?"

He walked toward her until she was close enough to touch, but he hesitated, hand in midair. "You are real, aren't you?"

Robin, tears streaming down her face, reached up and touched his cheek with her palm and said, "Yes, Patrick, I'm real." When Patrick's hand moved of its own volition and reached up to cover hers, she added, "I'm alive."

"You're really alive?" Tears of disbelief and joy fell from Patrick's eyes as he continued, "I dreamt about it so many times, but never thought it would happen. How?"

Robin explained to Patrick how the lab explosion was faked and she was held captive for nearly two years by Jerry Jax, Faison and Obrecht, only recently gaining her freedom. As she talked, Patrick stood motionless, attempting to process it all.

"So you really did call me? I wasn't hearing things?"

"Yes, I called, but the connection was bad."

"And you were at the wedding?" Why didn't you say anything?"

"Patrick, believe me, I was going to, but there was never a good time. You seemed so happy with Sabrina that I couldn't bring myself to ruin it."

At the mention of Sabrina's name, Patrick pulled out of Robin's grasp, "Oh, God… _Sabrina_!"

* * *

Sabrina waited impatiently to hear from Patrick and the fact that she hadn't after over an hour told her that the other shoe just dropped. She knew it was too good to be true and that the happiness she and Patrick had finally found wouldn't last. "Could Robin really be alive?" she whispered to herself as there was a knock at the door.

"Sabrina, it's Felix, open up!"

When she shuffled over to answer it, he pulled her into a hug. "Hey, girl! How is Mrs. Drake today?" At Fe's comment, Sabrina burst into tears.

After she pulled herself together, Sabrina explained to Felix what happened that morning. At first he didn't believe it was possible, but he recanted after Sabrina re-hashed their pre-wedding discussion over the unexplained phone call, Carlos claiming to have seen Robin in the lab and Ellie's missing invitation. "What are you going to do if she's alive, Sabrina?"

"I wish I knew, Felix…I wish I knew." As Felix pulled her into a comforting hug, Sabrina feared her marriage would be over before it really began.


	5. Chapter 5

When Patrick returned from the island, he sat in his car for a few minutes to compose himself. He was ecstatic that Robin was alive, but frustrated that his life was turned upside down by it. Getting over Robin was the hardest thing he had ever done, but now the love he'd finally been able to tuck away for her was pulsing through his veins again as if she'd never been gone. Patrick had been angry to be the last one to find out, but once the anger dissipated, he was left with joy and a completeness that had been missing since her death. The trouble was, however, that he also loved Sabrina. She'd pulled him out of hell one step at a time and healed his wounded heart with her love. He hadn't been looking or expecting to fall for her. It just happened and now he couldn't imagine his life without her. They'd built a solid relationship together from the rubble of his life.

Patrick got out of the car and walked up the drive, but paused before entering the house. When Robin had mentioned Sabrina earlier, he freaked. Wanting to talk to her in person, he had simply texted her: 'It's true. She's alive. Be home as soon as I can.' Unfortunately, that was several hours ago and he wasn't sure what he would find when he went inside. He opened the door and saw Sabrina jump up from the couch and turn her back to him. Her hand swiped across her face (probably wiping tears from her eyes) and she fidgeted with her clothing.

"Sabrina," he said, "we need to talk."

She straightened her spine and turned around to face him. "What else is there to say, Patrick? Your wife is alive."

Patrick was taken aback by her comment. After a moment, he retorted, "Yes, she is…and she is standing in front of me right now."

"No, I meant Robin, the woman you loved, grieved for and pined over for two years…not me."

"Yes, Robin's alive," From across the room, which seemed like a divide an ocean wide, Patrick explained the details of their meeting and Robin's ordeal.

"So, what now?"

"She wants to see Emma. I'm planning to take her over there after school so she can reunite with her mother and spend the night."

"She'll be thrilled. It's what she's always wanted," Sabrina said wistfully.

"Yes, she will be." Patrick responded, not sure what else to say.

The silence was deafening. Sabrina loathed bringing up where they go from here, but she'd never been one to stick her head in the sand. She took a deep breath, looked Patrick dead in the eye and asked the question she'd been dreading. "Once Robin sees Emma, then what?"

Patrick, who looked lost and unable to find his footing, answered, "I don't know."

"I see." Sabrina swallowed convulsively and turned her back on her husband. She felt as though her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

Suddenly, Patrick came up behind her and whipped her around to face him. Without warning, he pulled her into an intoxicating kiss. When they parted, he said "When I said those vows to you, I meant them. I never expected this to happen, Sabrina."

"I know," she whispered with tears pooling in her eyes.

"I love you and I didn't want this for us. I'm so sorry this is hurting you, but I'm not sorry that Robin is alive."

"Neither am I." With an aching heart, Sabrina stood on her tiptoes and kissed Patrick lightly on the lips.

Sabrina pulled away, knowing what she had to do; but, Patrick grabbed her by the arms and pulled her toward him until she was flush against his body. He leaned in and whispered, "_I love you, Sabrina_," before he began kissing her behind her earlobe. As she melted into his embrace, she echoed his sentiment. "_I love you too, Patrick…More than anything_." Patrick paused his ministrations and looked her in the eyes, which she know expressed all the love, pain, fear and hurt she was feeling, and then leaned in to kiss her. Kissing as if their lives depended on it, they inched backwards toward the couch. Patrick fell back onto it and pulled Sabrina down with him. Caught in a maelstrom of emotions, they slipped into ecstasy.

It had taken Patrick every ounce of willpower he possessed to pull away from Sabrina after making love, but he had to pick Emma up from school and take her to meet with Robin. When he got up to shower and dress, he noticed that Sabrina looked at him in a way that she never had before – as if she was drinking in the sight of him for her memories. When he caught her staring, she looked away quickly. Patrick said reassuringly, "Sabrina, we'll figure this out."

"I know," she responded as he leaned down to give her a comforting peck on the cheek.

Patrick figured Sabrina assumed he would leave her for Robin. He couldn't blame her considering he'd spent most of their relationship pining for her. However, when he walked in the house and saw Sabrina broken, but trying so hard to be brave, he knew his decision wouldn't be so cut and dry. Patrick was torn in a way that he'd never expected.


	6. Chapter 6

Robin's reunion with Emma was literally the happiest moment of Patrick's life. As difficult as her death had been for him, it was thousands of times worse for Emma. The moment she saw Robin, she ran into her arms. Robin scooped Emma up and twirled her around, both crying hysterically. The two spent the next few hours getting reacquainted. When Emma left the room to eat dinner with Spencer, he and Robin talked about her and the old days. Then, suddenly, Robin blurted, "Patrick, I thought I could do it, but I can't."

"What?" he asked, curiously.

"Let you go." Robin took a deep breath and continued, "I thought I could be happy just having Emma back in my life, but it won't work. I want you back. I want our life back."

"Robin…"

"I'm sorry, Patrick, I know this has all been a shock and it isn't fair to spring this on you, but I can't let you go. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Robin, but it isn't that simple." Patrick sighed and stood up.

"Why not?" Robin, who stood too, asked, exasperated. "We would still be a family if I hadn't been taken."

"Yes, but we can't go back like nothing happened. It's been two years." When she tried to interject, Patrick put a hand up to quiet her. "Let me explain, please… I thought I'd lost you and it nearly killed me. You were gone, but your presence was everywhere – the house, the hospital and my heart. I prayed every day that that I would wake up from the horrible nightmare my life had become and find you lying next to me, but it never worked." Patrick paused, took a breath and then said stoically, "I made the hardest decision of my life to try and move on from you…and I finally did."

"Right before I came back."

"Yes. Robin, I love you and I always will, but I also love Sabrina…very much."

With Emma due back any moment to say goodbye to him, Patrick listened as Robin told him she was 'going public' with her resurrection within the next few days because she wanted to be able to reunite with Maxie, Mac, Felicia, Sonny and the other people she cared about. Before he left, he told her he needed to think things over, but that she could spend as much time with Emma as she wanted.

When Patrick arrived at the house after leaving Emma with Robin, he felt like something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He took off his coat and put his keys and wallet on the end table by couch, which had the family photo of him, Robin and Emma sitting on it. He picked up the photo, sighed, put it back down and then glanced instead at the photo of him and Sabrina on their wedding day that had replaced his wedding picture to Robin on the bookshelf. He'd surprised Sabrina with the photo the day they returned from their honeymoon as a gesture to show her he'd finally put his life with Robin behind him and she had been touched by it.

"Sabrina?" he called, "Are you here?" When she didn't answer, he peeked into the kitchen (which was empty) and then made his way to their bedroom, thinking she might be in the shower and couldn't hear him. He entered the bedroom intent on passing through to the bathroom when Sabrina's empty nightstand caught his eye. Her nightstand was always neatly cluttered with random objects, including her glasses and her Kindle, two things she never left the house without. On a hunch, Patrick looked in their closet and noticed her favorite clothes and shoes were missing. Panicking, he ran into the bathroom and lost it when her side of the vanity was empty.

"SABRINA?!" he shouted desperately, loud enough to wake the dead, as he returned to the living room. Hands shaking, he was about to pull out his phone and call her, when he noticed an envelope on the coffee table with his name on it in Sabrina's handwriting. Patrick picked up the envelope and pulled out a note from Sabrina:

_Dearest Patrick,_

_By the time you read this, I will be gone. I've taken an emergency leave of absence from GH and am going out of town for a while so that you can focus on reclaiming your family. Felix will be by with movers to pick up the rest of my things and Diane Miller will be in contact with you regarding divorce proceedings, assuming our marriage was legal and they are a necessity. Please don't bother asking Felix where I am because he doesn't know. I know you will be upset when you read this, but if you take the time to really think about what – and who – you want, you will realize that I am saving us both a great deal of heartache in the long run. I love you, Patrick, and I want you to be happy. Thank you for giving me the family I always wanted. Kiss Emma goodbye for me._

_Always,_

_Sabrina_

Patrick finished the letter and sank to the couch in defeat. He felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest and he couldn't breathe. As his dejection turned to fury, Patrick pulled out his phone and dialed Felix's number. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"I don't know, Patrick," Felix said. "She wouldn't tell me. For what it's worth, I told her it was a bad idea."

"When you talk to her, and I know you will, tell her she is an idiot and convince her to get her ass back here."

After he hung up with Felix, Patrick tried Diane Miller. "Diane, this is Patrick Drake. I want to know where my wife is."

In response, she said, "I'm sorry, Patrick, I can't answer that. My client has requested her whereabouts be kept a secret and I will not break her confidence." Before she hung up, she told him she would contact him soon regarding the divorce papers.

With his desperation to find Sabrina increasing, he tried Liz, but was told that she hadn't seen Sabrina since yesterday at breakfast. As he racked his brain trying to remember the names of other people she might've told where she was going, he hit pay dirt. Sure he had the answer, he dialed.

"Carlos, where is she?"

"Who?"

"You know damn well who…Sabrina. My wife."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Doc."

"Dammit, Carlos, don't play dumb. You know Robin's alive. Sabrina's gone. She left a note and disappeared into thin air."

"Well, good for her. She probably knows you're going to pick your not-so-dead wife over her anyway, so why do you even care?"

"Because I love her, that's why!"

"So, what, Doc, you want to have your cake and eat it too now that you have two wives?"

"You son of a…" Patrick clamped his jaw shut, struggling to keep his cool. Once he'd calmed down, he added, "Look, if you see or talk to her, just tell her that I'm looking for her, okay?"

"Dammit Sabrina, where the hell are you?" Patrick muttered to himself after he hung up on Carlos. He tried several times to get ahold of her, but it kept going straight to voicemail.

* * *

Across town, Sabrina stood at a window looking out over the city and crying.

"That was Patrick. He's really upset and looking for you. Are you sure about this, Sabrina?"

"Yes. I am," she replied, not moving from her position. "It's what's best for everyone."

"Except you, Querida. Why are you falling on your sword?"

She turned around and looked at him and shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "Because I love him."

* * *

The next morning, after failing yet again to get in touch with Sabrina, Patrick stormed the HR department at GH to no avail. Frustrated that Sabrina could disappear without a trace, he punched the elevator door.

"Whoa there, Patrick, what's going on?" Sam said as she came up behind him.

"Sam. Hi."

"You look like hell."

"Well, I feel like hell…" He was about to blow Sam off and continue pouting when he remembered that she was a PI and could help him find Sabrina. "Sam, can you help me find Sabrina?"

"What?" she asked, clearly confused.

"She left last night after she found out that Robin's alive and no one has seen her since."

"Wait…Robin's alive?!"

Patrick ushered Sam over to the lounge area and explained what had happened yesterday as Sam listened intently. Before he could beg her again to help him, she said something that made him pause. "Patrick, I will find Sabrina for you if that's what you want, but before I do, I need you to tell me you are one hundred percent committed to her over Robin. If you aren't, then you need to let her have the dignity of walking away. Is it your pride or your heart looking for her?"

Patrick, stunned by her insight said, "I don't know."

"Well, then you should figure it out. I think deep down you know where you belong. If it is with Sabrina, give me a call and I will do what I can. If not, then you need to let her be. There is no sense in tracking her down only to break her heart."

Sam gave Patrick a hug and then walked away without another word, leaving him to his thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

_Three weeks later…_

Sabrina stood outside the door to Patrick's house. Hand outstretched and ready to knock, she hesitated when she noticed the wooden bear holding a sign that read "The Drakes" on it hanging by the door. She'd bought the bear right before the wedding and hid it in the bottom of the closet, intending to surprise Patrick with it once things were settled after the honeymoon, but she'd never had the chance. Seeing the bear hanging up signaling that the Drake family was inside and not being a part of that family crushed her. Why would Patrick hang it up if things were over between them?

Steeling herself for the showdown that was about to happen, Sabrina took a breath and knocked. As she waited, she thought back to everything that had happened over the last few weeks. After Patrick, looking lost, said "I don't know" during their conversation about what was going to happen after Emma reunited with Robin, Sabrina knew she would have to make the decision for both of them. Patrick had pined for his dead wife the entire time she knew him, even when he claimed otherwise. It was unfathomable to her that he would be presented with the possibility of gaining back the life he lost and then willingly give it up. Sabrina believed that the reason he was so torn wasn't because he loved her so much that he couldn't live without her, but due to a sense of guilt and responsibility he felt over everything she'd done for him and Emma. The prospect of waiting things out only to end up alone in the end was panic inducing, so Sabrina did what she had to do to maintain her self-respect.

Sabrina threw herself into making the plans the second Patrick left after their spontaneous lovemaking. She packed all of her essentials from the bedroom and bathroom, arranged for an emergency leave from work, and then called a moving service to have her other items packed up and taken back to Felix's. After that was done, she'd called Felix to make sure that he would help the movers and store her possessions. Then, after receiving a stern lecture about why giving up was a bad idea, she called Diane about divorce papers. Sabrina wasn't sure if papers were needed since Robin wasn't really dead; but, she wanted to cover all of her bases just in case. Diane agreed to research the issue, draft the necessary paperwork and then deliver it to Patrick on her behalf. When she'd taken care of that, she called Carlos. Despite his claims to the contrary, she knew in her gut that the work he was doing for the Jerome's wasn't on the up-and-up and that he would be able to help her "disappear" for a while. Carlos set her up in one of the local safe houses the organization used when they wanted to lay low – or keep someone out of sight. Ironically, Carlos thought her leaving Patrick before things were settled to be a horrible idea and encouraged her not to martyr herself for Robin. Sabrina stood firm and they eventually agreed to disagree.

When Diane, who'd delivered the divorce papers (as well as her rings and house keys) to Patrick on Christmas Eve, called yesterday and told her that Patrick hadn't yet returned the signed paperwork, Sabrina grew concerned. Assuming that Patrick had been so busy reconnecting with Robin that signing the papers – and letting her go – slipped his mind, she decided to end her self-imposed exile to confront him. She was due back at work next week and wanted to make a fresh start free of Patrick, Robin and all the related drama. In order to do that, she needed to put the past behind her once and for all.

When the door opened, Robin was standing on the other side. "Sabrina?"

"Hello, Robin. Is Patrick home?" Sabrina forced the tears welling in her eyes to stay put. She didn't realize how much seeing Robin at the house would affect her.

"Um… Yeah. He's in the shower. I'll go get him. Do you want to come in?"

"Okay." Sabrina entered and looked around the house that no longer felt like a home to her. Emma's iPad (which Patrick got her for educational purposes) was on the coffee table along with some of her coloring books, crayons and the family photo of her and her parents. Robin's purse, keys and coat were on the couch. When Robin walked into the bedroom to get Patrick, Sabrina glanced over to the bookshelf where Patrick had put their wedding picture and noticed it was gone. She sighed in disappointment, though she mentally kicked herself for it. What had she expected?

Robin came back after only a few moments and said, "He'll be right out. He's just finishing up getting ready for work. Um, can I get you anything? Water? Tea?

"No, that's okay," Sabrina said as she shook her head. "I won't be here very long."

She and Robin stood awkwardly in the living room not sure of what to say until Patrick came in. Although he had just showered, he looked haggard, as if he hadn't been sleeping well. When he saw her, he halted and whispered, "Sabrina."

"Hello, Patrick," Sabrina said, overcome with emotion. "How are you?"

At her question, Patrick turned his attention to Robin and said, "Would you mind giving us a moment, Robin?"

She momentarily hesitated, but then nodded yes and walked toward the kitchen. After she was gone, Patrick turned toward Sabrina, anger and hurt in his eyes, and said, "How the hell do you think I am, Sabrina? You disappeared without a trace for weeks. I was worried sick about you."

Surprised by the vehemence in his voice, Sabrina recoiled as if slapped. "Didn't you get my note?" Belatedly, she apologetically added, "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Yeah, I got your note – as well as your divorce papers, rings and house keys." Patrick said as he stalked closer to her. "But I was still worried. You could have called, Sabrina."

"I'm sorry…" she started to respond, but was cut off by Patrick, who continued, "Or, you could have not left in the first place. What the HELL were you thinking?"

When he fairly shouted the question, Sabrina lost her cool and shouted back, "I was thinking that I would leave town so that you could go back to your wife unencumbered and guilt-free…and, it seems like that is exactly what happened, so maybe you should be thanking me instead of getting on my case."

Sabrina and Patrick stood there, less than a foot between them, breathing heavily and locked in each other's stares until Sabrina willed herself to step back. She took a deep, relaxing breath to calm herself. "Patrick, I came for the divorce papers. Diane told me you didn't return them. I'd like to get them filed as soon as possible."

"Oh, you would, would you?"

Missing the sarcasm in his response, Sabrina plunged forward, "Yes. Can you please get them? We can take of this right now and then I'll be out of your life – for good."

Sabrina stood there and watched Patrick process her request. Considering it was pretty straightforward, she didn't know why he was hesitating so long. She was about to repeat it when he suddenly spoke up and said, "Over. My. Dead. Body."


	8. Chapter 8

_Three weeks earlier..._

Patrick was an emotional wreck. After Sam left him at the hospital, he went home to think. He felt as though he was being pulled in a million different directions. For every reason he had to go back to Robin, he had an equal one for staying with Sabrina. He'd never been so torn or confused in his entire life. Sabrina's departure had shocked and scared him because he'd been blindsided by it. He knew that he'd hurt her when he said he didn't know what would happen next, but he never expected her to just up and leave him, making the choice for them both, out of the blue. Right before Carlos came back into town, Sabrina had said that she would do anything for him and Emma. Patrick knew then that she wouldn't have said it if she didn't mean it, but he now knew that she _meant_ it considering how difficult it must have been to walk away from the two people she loved most in the world so that they could be happy.

Although Patrick didn't know if he could commit to a life with Sabrina now that Robin was alive, he did know that he couldn't live with himself if something happened to her while she was out of town because of him; so, he called Sam and asked her to find Sabrina for him. When she was surprised, Patrick explained that he just needed to know that she was safe so that he could focus on the decision that loomed in front of him. Patrick spent the next several days struggling to decide while continuously calling but being unable to get in touch with Sabrina. After several failed attempts to get Felix to spill the beans, he realized that Felix wasn't playing around when he insisted he didn't know where she was. Felix even told him that he tried to use the "Find my Friends" app on their iPhones to find her when she called him, but it wasn't working.

As Christmas dawned, Patrick was frustrated beyond belief at Sam's lack of progress in finding his wife. She was a PI who'd been married to Port Charles' most infamous hit man, so he didn't understand why she was having such trouble finding Sabrina. He had attempted to pretend things were normal (well, as normal as possible given the situation) so that Emma wouldn't be confused or scared. Even though she had caught him twirling his wedding ring or mooning over his and Sabrina's wedding picture and mumbling to himself several times, she seemed unfazed. After Emma read Sabrina's letter, worded in a way as to not to worry her, she was sad; but, Patrick figured she was too glad about her mother being home to continue asking about Sabrina. What he didn't know, however, was that Sabrina had been calling Emma from wherever she was once a day at 3 pm so that she wouldn't worry. He only found out because the phone rang on Christmas Eve as they were getting ready for dinner with Robin and Emma ran like the wind to answer it before he could.

"Hello!" Emma said excitedly as Patrick listened in wonder.

She paused to listen and then said, "I'm okay. I miss you, too."

Another pause. "When are you coming home?"

At that, Patrick crossed his arms in front of his chest and interjected, "Emma Grace, who is on the phone?"

When she looked at him nervously and then said into the phone, "Um, I think Daddy wants to talk to you...He's been really grumpy since you left," Patrick realized she was talking to Sabrina.

Before he could grab the phone to interrogate his wayward wife, Emma said "I love you, too," and quickly hung up. She then frowned and looked up at him pityingly. "Sabrina had to go. I don't think she wanted to talk to you, Daddy. "

Then, to add insult to injury, Diane Miller stopped by with a special Christmas present for him – divorce papers. She told him that she researched the matter and found that since his marriage to Robin was terminated upon her death, his and Sabrina's marriage was legal and would need to be dissolved in order for him to be able to remarry his "wife". Before she left, she gave him a package that contained Sabrina's wedding rings and house keys and told him to call her when the papers were ready. Patrick was dumbfounded that Sabrina thought that she could just erase herself from his life and furious that he wasn't getting a say.

Patrick was reeling, but managed to get through the holiday for Emma's sake. He could tell that Robin was upset he was keeping his distance from her emotionally. She'd tried several times since Sabrina disappeared to make headway with him, but he just couldn't bring himself to engage because he was too preoccupied with finding Sabrina.

The day after Christmas, Sam called him to tell him she was sorry, but couldn't find Sabrina. Sabrina hadn't made any credit transactions or withdrawn any money from the bank since she disappeared. Her car was outside of Felix's and she had not made or received any calls on her cell, which seemed to be turned off. When he questioned how she could be calling Felix and Emma, Sam said that the call he received on Christmas Eve came from a disposable cell phone, which was untraceable. When Sam wondered about how someone like Sabrina could just fall completely off the grid, Patrick realized that Carlos had lied to him.

After hanging up with Sam, Patrick made a beeline to Carlos' loft for a confrontation that had been months in the making. When Carlos opened the door, Patrick decked him and he fell to the floor. Patrick kneeled down. "You've been lying to me, amigo. I know you're helping Sabrina. I want to know where she is. NOW!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Patrick stood up and stepped back as Carlos bounded up from the floor. When he didn't reply, Patrick snarled. "Where is my wife?"

"Doc, I have no idea where Robin is."

"You know damn well that I mean Sabrina. The only way she could have gone completely off the grid so that Sam couldn't find her is if you helped her."

"Maybe Ms. Morgan is a lousy PI. Sabrina is very resourceful," Carlos said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"She is, but this has 'professional' written all over it and you are the only one she knows. So, spill it, Carlos."

"Ok. You've got me. I helped her," he admitted. "But, I'm still not telling you where she is, so you can just turn around and leave."

"Not until you tell me where she is."

"Not happening, Doc."

Both men stood firm, each refusing to appease the other. Patrick broke the silence as he turned to leave. "If anything happens to my wife while under your care, Carlos, I will make it my life's mission to make your life miserable."

"Wait…"

"What?"

"Patrick, you have to know that I would never let anything happen to Sabrina. I love her more than my life. She is safe. If she wasn't, I wouldn't be standing here arguing with you."

"She'd better be safe, or I swear…"

Putting his hands up in surrender, Carlos said, "I've got the message. Though, honestly I have to wonder why you are so intent on finding her. She sacrificed everything she loved so that you could go back to your dead wife."

"It wasn't her decision to make."

"So? What? Was she supposed to wait around on pins and needles until you finish hee-hawing between her and Robin only to get her heart ripped out by the man _she_ loves more than her life."

Patrick tried to cut him off, but was stopped when Carlos plowed on. "No matter how concerned you are for Sabrina, in the end you will pick your dead wife. Everybody knows it but you, Doc. Have the decency to let Sabrina go now, on her terms, rather than humiliating her later."

"I don't know if I can…"

Clearly frustrated by Patrick's indecisiveness, Carlos kicked him out after warning him to never hit him again.

Patrick went home still angry at Sabrina for disappearing, but happy that she was safe. For all Carlos' faults, Patrick knew that he would protect Sabrina if push came to shove. Patrick decided on the way home that he would take the rest of Sabrina's absence to think about everything. If he was really honest with himself, he knew he wanted back the life he had before Robin died and everything went to hell, as he loved Robin as much today as he did before. Although Sabrina had made the pain easier to bear, it never really went away, so maybe he was fooling himself thinking that he had a decision to make. The problem was, however, that he still loved Sabrina and the thought of her living her life without him in it made him break out in a cold sweat.

Patrick spent the next week getting to know Robin again. When Emma went to visit, he tagged along. They also went on outings as a family like they used to. After Emma went to bed, he and Robin would stay up talking about the old days and what had happened during the time she was gone. She came over before school every morning and then came back after dropping Emma off so that they could have time alone. He and Robin made out a few times, but the ring on his finger always stopped him from taking things any farther. Robin was annoyed and told him to take off the ring because Sabrina was gone and his marriage was merely a legality. Sabrina had given them her blessing to reclaim their relationship, so why wait? Even though Robin spoke the truth, Patrick was angered by her demand to basically forget about Sabrina as if their marriage meant nothing.

Patrick found out from Felix that Sabrina was due back at work next week, so he knew that she would return soon to acclimate herself to life in Port Charles without him. He decided that he needed to see her again before making a final decision, so Patrick planned to hold the divorce papers as ransom. If he didn't return them, maybe it would smoke her out of hiding early so they could hash things out and resolve their relationship, in person, one way or another, since Sabrina refused to speak to him when she called to check on Emma.

The morning Sabrina returned started like all the others had. Robin came over to see Emma off to school and then returned after dropping her off. They had to cut their chat short because he had to get ready for work, so he left Robin in the living room when he went to shower. Shortly after he'd finished, Robin came in the bedroom and told him someone was at the door. However, she neglected to mention it was Sabrina, which was why Patrick stalled, breathless, when he saw her standing there looking as amazingly beautiful as ever. When Sabrina, who had an aura of steel around her, so casually dismissed her absence, all of his pent up anger bubbled to the surface, which caused hers to do the same. Shocked and turned on by her ferocity, Patrick was glad Sabrina stepped back because he'd been a fraction of a second away from losing control and ravishing her, Robin's presence in the kitchen be damned. He couldn't help threatening, "Over. My. Dead. Body." when Sabrina carried on as if completely unaffected and basically ordered him to sign the papers so that she could be done with the inconvenience of it all.

"Excuse me?" Sabrina asked, incredulously.

"You heard me, Sabrina. I am not going to just let you waltz in here and order me to do your bidding without at least discussing this."

"What is there to discuss, Patrick?"

"Us."

"What us? You are clearly back with Robin."

"Clearly," Patrick retorted sarcastically. "You know what they say about assumptions, Sabrina."

"So… You aren't back with Robin?"

"No. I've been too busy worrying myself sick over you."

"Oh. Well, I'm fine, so once you sign the papers, you can pick up where you left off."

"It's not that simple, Sabrina. I still love you – very much. What we had was real." Patrick said, desperate to get through to her.

"Except it kind of wasn't." Sabrina sighed and continued, "Let me ask you this: Would we have gotten together if you had known Robin was alive all this time?"

Patrick averted eye contact and then whispered, "No."

"So, then what are we doing? Robin is back and it is obvious that you are still in love with her."

"I don't know."

"You can love us both, but you can't have us both. You have to choose - me or your wife."

"_You_ are my wife."

"No, Patrick, I'm not. Not really. I was just a placeholder... And, I deserve better."

"Sabrina," Patrick started to say, but was halted by her hand waving by in a shushing motion. "So, unless you can look me in the eye right now and tell me that you want to save our marriage, I'm done, Patrick." Eyes full of hope, she asked, "Can you?"

Patrick hesitated.

Blinking back tears, Sabrina exhaled the breath she had been holding and said, "That's what I thought. Sign the papers, Patrick, and deliver them to Diane in the morning."

As Sabrina turned on her heel to walk out the door – and his life, Patrick reached out and stopped her. "I don't know what to say, Sabrina."

She pulled out of his grasp, walked to the door and opened it. "There is only one thing left to say… Goodbye, Patrick."

As the door closed behind her, Patrick sank to the chair dejectedly and put his head in his hands. If this was what he wanted all along, why wasn't he happier?


	10. Chapter 10

As Sabrina drove home from Patrick's, her tears started flowing as heavily as the rain pounding on her car. It took every ounce of strength she possessed to keep her composure when Patrick hesitated at her ultimatum. Although she expected the reaction he gave, it didn't make it hurt any less. So, instead of breaking down, she let out a breath and used her hurt to give her enough anger to order him to sign the papers as she walked out the door. It seemed fitting somehow that the heavens opened up to a torrential downpour as she walked to her car. She was an emotional wreck, so why not be a drowned rat on top of it?

Once she got in the car, she forced herself to start the engine and pull away rather than sit outside crying. She refused to give Patrick (or Robin, for that matter) the satisfaction of seeing how broken she was from inside the house. However, her mind soon began dwelling on the events that had occurred after they got back from their honeymoon and she could no longer keep the tears at bay.

Sabrina was reaching for a napkin in the center compartment to dry her eyes when she began hydroplaning. As her car skidded toward oncoming traffic in the opposite lane, she fervently gripped the wheel and swerved, praying to God she could avoid a head-on collision.

* * *

"You should go after her, Patrick."

Patrick looked up and saw Robin standing there with a tear-stained face full of pain and resolution.

"What?"

"I said that you should go after her."

"Why?"

"Because I know she is the one you really want to be with."

"Robin…" Patrick said as he shook his head. How could she know something he didn't even know?

"Patrick, I know you told her you didn't know what you wanted; but, I think that you do know and are just afraid to admit it to yourself – and to me." She sat down next to him, took his hands in hers and continued, "Today confirmed for me what the wedding showed me. You are in love with Sabrina and want to be with her. If you didn't, Patrick, nothing would have stopped you from making love to me this past week and putting our family back together."

Patrick stared down at their clasped hands and then back up at her. "If someone would have told me that I wouldn't take you in my arms and never let you go after finding out you weren't really dead, I would have told them they were crazy. But, something has shifted inside of me, Robin, and, no matter how hard I try, I can't tuck away what I feel for Sabrina and pretend it doesn't exist."

Robin started to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of Patrick's phone going off. He figured it was probably the hospital calling to find out where he was since Sabrina's impromptu visit had put him behind schedule, so he just answered it without looking.

"I'm running a little late, but I'll be there soon," he said as he jumped up and started running around the house gathering his things.

"Patrick Drake?" an unknown voice replied.

Patrick halted and said curiously, "Yes, who is this?"

"Sir, this is Detective Nathan West with the PCPD. I'm here with AJ Quartermaine and he informed me that you recently married Sabrina Santiago. Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true. Sabrina _Drake _is my wife."

"Then, sir, I'm going to need you to get to the ER at Mercy Hospital as soon as possible. You're wife's been in a serious car accident and she is being transported there as we speak."

Patrick was so shocked by what the detective told him that the phone slipped out of his hand. He stood there, motionless, as his mind tried to process the news. "Hello, Dr. Drake? Are you there?" he heard coming out of the phone, but couldn't seem to move to bend down and pick it up.

Robin kneeled to pick up the phone and started talking to the detective as he sank to the nearest chair. This can't be happening, he thought. She had been here barely a half hour ago and was fine. Sabrina was fine. This had to be a mistake.

"PATRICK!"

When he didn't answer, Robin slapped him. Pulled out of his raging thoughts, he looked up at her and rubbed his cheek. "Ouch. You didn't have to do that."

"Apparently, I did," Robin said dryly. However, she had her serious doctor face on when she said, "Patrick, you have to get to the ER. Now. Get your things and I'll drive you."

Patrick could tell from Robin's face and tone that the detective must have told her exactly how serious the accident was, so he didn't fight her when she pulled him up out of the chair, grabbed his things and pushed him out the door in front of her.


	11. Chapter 11

The drive to the hospital was torture for Patrick. His emotions spanned from complete denial this was happening to abject terror at losing Sabrina. He managed to check himself long enough to call Felix and have him meet him in the ER. When they arrived at Mercy, Patrick bounded out of the car before Robin even had a chance to park and burst through the ER doors.

"My wife, Sabrina Santiago. Where is she?" he demanded.

"The receptionist was barely fazed and said, "Wait a moment while I look it up. Santiago?"

"Yes, dammit," Patrick ground out as he slammed his hand on the counter. "Sabrina Santiago Drake. She was in a car accident and was brought in by ambulance."

"Sir, she is in the trauma area being worked on. You cannot see her right now. You'll need to wait out here."

"But, she's my wife… _Please_."

Patrick figured he must have looked a fright because the receptionist picked up the phone and dialed a number. Afterward, a security guard came out to escort him, Robin and Felix to a waiting room inside the trauma area. A nurse met them and told them that the doctors were still with Sabrina, but that someone would be in as soon as possible. All they could do until then was wait.

A half hour later, the door opened, but it was AJ and the detective, not a doctor. When Patrick saw AJ, he jumped out of his chair and pushed him against the wall.

"What did you do?! If this is your fault, I swear…"

Before AJ could push him off, Patrick was yanked away from behind by the detective. "Dr. Drake, calm down. AJ didn't cause the accident. He witnessed it and stepped in to help Ms. Santiago."

"You're not drunk?" Patrick asked, eyeing AJ curiously.

"No. Not right now, anyway."

"What happened?"

Before AJ could explain what happened, they were interrupted by a doctor. After exchanging brief greetings, Patrick asked "How is my wife?"

"We've managed to stabilize her but she has been unconscious since her arrival, likely knocked out by the impact. She has a broken right leg, broken collarbone and three broken ribs. Although we've determined there is no internal bleeding, one of the ribs punctured a lung, which is over fifty percent collapsed. We have her on a ventilator to protect her airway while we repair the lung. The leg will require surgery to reset. We'll be moving her to the ICU shortly in order to monitor her condition closely."

Patrick, who felt as if he had been punched in the gut, asked, "When can I see her?"

"After she is settled in the ICU she can have two visitors at a time. You will need to get a pass from security."

After the doctor left, the room got loud as everyone else began talking at once. Patrick ignored it all. He wanted to know what happened, but Sabrina was all that mattered. So, without a word, Patrick walked out and made his way to the ICU to wait for his wife.

* * *

Patrick found the ICU, but they wouldn't let him in because Sabrina wasn't ready yet. As he waited for the seconds to pass (why wasn't the clock moving?), the posse arrived. Robin sat down next to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, which resulted in a death glare from Felix, who Patrick assumed thought they were back together. Patrick looked at Nathan and AJ and demanded, "Tell me what happened."

AJ looked at Nathan, who nodded approvingly, and explained. "I was driving home from the liquor store when it started pouring. Suddenly, a car coming in the other direction began, I think, hydroplaning and veered into my lane. We both swerved at the same time. I hit a tree and the other car spun out and went down the embankment. As other witnesses called 911, I slid down and found the car, smoking and crushed in the front, with your wife slumped over the steering wheel. There was a crack in the windshield where she must have hit her head. She was out, so I stayed with her until the EMT's arrived."

Patrick's stomach sank lower with each word that AJ spoke until he had to put his head between his knees to keep from throwing up. How could this be happening?

Patrick was pulled out of his thoughts by the ICU receptionist. "Dr. Drake? You can go in now. Your wife is in 439. When you go through the doors, make a right at the nurses' station and you'll see the room."

Patrick got up from his chair, took a deep breath, thanked the receptionist and walked toward the unknown. If they had been a GH, he would have had free reign to be with his wife the entire time, but here, at Mercy, he was just another worried family member. Patrick's heart sped up and his palms got sweaty as the doors loomed. The fact that he was a doctor and knew, logically, what he would see when he saw Sabrina didn't help him when he turned the corner and saw her for the first time.

"Oh, God," he whispered to himself as tears welled up in his eyes and he stopped mid-stride to take in the scene of his usually vibrant and strong wife looking pale and fragile hooked up to the ventilator and other monitors as two nurses fussed over her. In that moment, Patrick replayed his and Sabrina's entire relationship in his mind and realized that he was a fool for letting Sabrina walk out the door earlier. They belonged together and, when (not if) she pulled through this, he would make sure that she knew it.


	12. Chapter 12

Sabrina was in hell. The pain was incessant and her mind was a foggy mess. Every time she tried to open her eyes, pain started reverberating through her skull. Every breath she took was like fire; but, when she tried to hold it to stop the pain, she was unable. Something was stuck in her throat, but she couldn't move her arms to get rid of it. When she tried to move her legs, only one would move. The other was weighted down. She heard beeping in the distance, as well as voices encouraging her to come back. (Had she gone somewhere?) When she tried to rage against the bindings, liquid calm would overtake her. Eventually, she stopped fighting and gave in to the painless bliss.

* * *

Patrick thought he knew what it was like to live a nighmare, but he was wrong. He'd believed that the worst thing he would ever experience in his life was Robin's death and its aftermath. This, however, was far worse than that. Sabrina's injuries, though treatable, were painful. She moaned in pain with practically every breath the ventilator made her take and, the few times she woke up, she became agitated by the tube in her mouth and her inability to move her limbs, so she had to be heavily sedated. Although the doctors believed that the knock on her head hadn't caused any damage to her brain, they (and he) were concerned to keep her sedated because it resulted in her being largely unresponsive to commands. Every second that Sabrina languished in the ICU was a second that Patrick felt helpless. He tried to reassure her that everything would be OK, as did Felix, Elizabeth and even Carlos, who Patrick had reluctantly called. (The guy was an ass, but he deserved to know about Sabrina's condition.) He knew that Sabrina could hear him, so he tried his hardest to keep the fear out of his voice when he spoke to her and pleaded with her to come back to him so that he could make things right. Inwardly, however, he was scared to death that she would backslide and there was nothing he could do about it.

Sabrina spent a week in the ICU at Mercy. He had tried to get her transferred to GH, but the doctors convinced him that doing so would cause her undue pain and stress, even as heavily sedated as she was. However, after her lung was on the mend and she had the necessary surgery to reset her leg, he put his foot down and had her transported. He knew that she would want to be at GH and believed that being cared for by the people who loved her would provide comfort that no sedative could.

After her transfer, Sabrina was settled in a private room. Within a few days, her lung was on the mend enough that she could be weaned off the ventilator. Once she was breathing on her own, the doctors lowered the sedation and pulled out the tube. Sabrina was able to answer the questions they asked her about her name and birth date as well as respond to requests to describe the items in pictures she was shown. Although she was no longer sedated, she was on heavy painkillers and slept a lot.

Patrick continued to spend nearly all of his time at GH with Sabrina. Robin had moved into the house temporarily to take care of Emma in his absence. Emma had been by to visit Sabrina a few times, but only stayed a few minutes due to Sabrina being so out of it thanks to the medication. The visits, though short, warmed Patrick's heart because he could tell that Emma's presence comforted Sabrina in a way that no one else's had. About a week after her transfer, Patrick was sitting vigil by Sabrina's bedside as Elizabeth and Felix checked on her when Carlos came in. After getting an update from Patrick, Carlos stood by the other side of the bed speaking to her in Spanish when she suddenly opened her eyes and looked around the room for a few seconds until her eyes settled on Carlos. Sabrina, smiling a small smile, waved him down toward her where she whispered something in his ear that made him jerk back, slightly in surprise and look up at Patrick, Felix and Elizabeth.

"What did she say to you?" Patrick whispered to Carlos, curiously.

Carlos hesitated a moment and then said, "She asked me who all the strangers in her room are."


	13. Chapter 13

Patrick sat in the lounge area while Sabrina was being examined by the doctors. After the discovery of her memory loss, Liz tactfully hauled a freaked-out Felix from the room as Patrick went to get one of Sabrina's doctors. Since Carlos was the only one she knew, he stayed behind to question Sabrina as to what she did still remember. Although the doctors had dismissed her head injury since she regained consciousness and answered general questions, Patrick had (rightfully) remained worried. Sabrina, being "Sabrina" had responded kindly to his presence in her room, but had seemed distant. Even if she had still been upset over everything that went down, he knew she would not have been able to keep the love out of her eyes when she looked at him. Patrick was deep in thought when Emma bounded into his arms with a happy, "Daddy!"

He forced himself to smile and answer, "Hey, beautiful. I missed you."

"I missed you too, daddy. When will you and Sabrina be coming home?"

"I'm not sure. Sabrina still isn't feeling well."

Emma pulled a card from her backpack and said, "I made her a card. Can we go see her?"

Patrick hesitated. "Um, I'm not sure now is a good time."

"Why?" Emma asked as Robin looked on worriedly.

"Because Sabrina hit her head pretty hard the day of her accident and it turns out that she doesn't remember us right now."

Emma stared, contemplative, for a moment and then announced matter-of-factly, "Yes she does, daddy, even if she doesn't realize it." Emma then jumped down off his lap, grabbed his hand and pleaded for him to follow her to Sabrina's room.

They reached Sabrina's door just as the doctors and Carlos were exiting. Patrick held Emma back as they chatted. Based off their tests and Carlos' questions, they were able to determine that Sabrina was aware of her identity and life history up until her move to Port Charles. They believed the memory loss was temporary as a result of the physical trauma and suggested he say he was a good friend until she was able to fill in the blanks on her own. Patrick nodded as Emma escaped his grasp and entered the room ahead of him and Robin, who had followed.

"Hi, Sabrina," Emma said excitedly.

"Hello," Sabrina said with a smile.

"My name is Emma Drake and we're friends. How are you?"

Sabrina repeated the name as if she should know it and then answered. "Um, I'm okay. Just tired and a little confused."

"This is my daddy. He and I have been really worried about you."

Sabrina smiled and leaned toward Emma. "Oh? It's nice of you and your daddy to worry about me." She looked up and Robin and said, "Who's this?"

Before Emma could reply, Robin stepped toward the bed and answered. "I'm Robin Scorpio, Emma's mom. We've been worried, but are glad you are on the mend." Robin then looked at Emma and said, "Give Sabrina your card so that we can get going to meet Grandma Anna at Kelly's."

Emma passed the card to Sabrina, who cooed and fussed over it. After Emma and Robin exited, Sabrina looked at Patrick. "You have a lovely family. Is that your wife?"

Patrick sighed and said, "No, we aren't married anymore."

"Oh, sorry." Sabrina said, embarrassed, until she noticed his ring and pointed at it. "Wait. Did you get remarried?"

Patrick smiled, "Yeah. Over Thanksgiving."

"And…she doesn't mind you being here with me so often?"

"No. She's very kind. She understands."

Sabrina smiled. "Wow. She must love you a lot. What does she do?"

"She is a nurse here at the hospital. It's where we met."

"That's neat. She is a lucky woman to be married to someone as nice as you are."

Patrick looked at Sabrina wistfully and said, "No. I'm definitely the lucky one. She means everything to me."

Sabrina laughed and said, "Well, make sure you tell her. Carlos never did that when were together." She sighed and then added, "Although he is making up for lost time now."

"He is?" Patrick asked, trying hard to keep his voice level.

"Yeah. It's kind of sweet, actually. He's not as much of a jerk as he used to be."

Patrick mumbled, "I doubt that…"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." Patrick walked over and patted Sabrina on the hand. "Hey, why don't you get some rest and I'll be back to check on you later?"

Sabrina nodded and said "I'd like that." The exchanged quick smiles and then Patrick exited and leaned against the door after it closed. How was he going to keep up the charade that he only cared for her as a friend? And, what was he going to do about Carlos using this as an opportunity to move in?

Patrick looked over at the nurses' station and saw Carlos talking to Felix and Liz about Sabrina by the nurses' station. Patrick walked over and joined the group, but only had eyes for Carlos.

"Carlos."

"Yeah, Doc?"

"I just wanted to make sure we have things straight."

"What do you mean?"

"I appreciate everything you are doing for Sabrina, but I have a feeling you need reminding that she is still my wife, whether she remembers it or not."

"Yeah, so?"

" So quit using her amnesia as a way to weasel yourself back into her life. In the end, Carlos, she will remember everything and want to be with me. You're just setting yourself up for heartbreak."

Felix and Liz looked on, enthralled by the exchange, as Carlos started laughing. "You know, Doc," he said, "Your arrogance astounds me. Did you ever think that maybe Sabrina subconsciously blocked out your life together because of all the pain you've caused her? Have you forgotten that two weeks ago, you were ready to throw her to the wolves for your long-lost not-so-dead 'wife'?

Patrick, deadly serious, said, "No, Carlos, I haven't forgotten. But, nearly losing Sabrina made everything clear. Robin and I are over. I want my wife. So, don't wage a war over her with me because, I assure you, you will not win."

Patrick nodded at Felix and Liz and walked away. Sabrina would remember their life together and he knew just what to do to speed up the process.


	14. Chapter 14

It had been a week since Sabrina's memory loss had been discovered, but she still hadn't remembered their life together and Patrick was at his wits end. Patrick had hoped he would be able to help trigger her memories by bringing her things that had been important to her. Sabrina was touched when he brought her Kindle and favorite blanket and cried when she saw her mom's stethoscope and a few of her nursing school books. (Although her RN license was still good, GH would require Sabrina to pass a competency exam before returning to duty in light of her memory issues.) He hoped that they would be the catalyst for her memories to return – and they were. A few days after she began reading the books, most of her memory of her life in Port Charles came back. Sabrina remembered living with Felix, befriending Elizabeth and Patrick, babysitting Emma and passing nursing school. Everything about her life in Port Charles was crystal clear except apparently their entire relationship. After she remembered, Patrick brought a copy of the Nurses' Ball for them to watch together. Although Sabrina was in awe of the event, her preoccupation with how Robin could be alive today overshadowed the small amount of footage of them on their first official date that he hoped would get her to remember. When Patrick explained Robin's kidnapping and miracle return (minus some significant details), Sabrina had tears of joy running down her face out of happiness for him and Emma. While Patrick was grateful that Sabrina recalled her life in PC, he was devastated when she only looked at him as a friend. He had gotten so used to seeing the love in her eyes when she looked at him that it tore him up inside knowing it was no longer there. He didn't understand how Sabrina could remember so much and so little at the same time. Could she really be suppressing her memories out of pain as Carlos implied?

Thankfully, Carlos had backed off somewhat. The man was still a weasel and Patrick didn't trust him, but since his presence brought Sabrina stability and comfort during this tumultuous time, Patrick chose not to put up a fuss. He knew that when Sabrina regained her memories, Carlos wouldn't stand a chance anyway. However, when Patrick walked into Sabrina's room for a visit, he realized that Carlos might be the least of his problems…

* * *

Although Sabrina had regained her memory, she still felt like she was missing something. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't and it was beginning to frustrate her. Thanks to Patrick bringing her mom's stethoscope and her nursing books, Sabrina had, well, an epiphany, as she studied. As she read the words in the text, fragments of her memory began materializing and shifting into place, including moving to Port Charles and finding the apartment with Felix, meeting Elizabeth, crashing into Patrick (the most handsome man she'd ever laid eyes on), babysitting Emma, being bullied by Brit and confronting Epiphany. She recalled Patrick and Emma being sad when they met, Patrick dating Brit, and planning the Nurses' Ball. The memories, however, ware fuzzy like a snowy picture on a television and she couldn't quite get them to focus. She was ecstatic when Patrick brought a DVD of the ball for her to watch, but was confused as to why everyone was talking like Robin was dead when she'd met the woman a few days ago. When Patrick explained that Robin had been presumed dead due to kidnapping, Sabrina couldn't help but tear up in happiness for him and Emma, who she knew were important people in her life in Port Charles. What a miracle! As she tried to talk to Patrick about Robin's resurrection while the DVD played, he got increasingly surly at her lack of attention to the show, as if he wanted her to see something beyond the show itself. It seemed odd to her that he would be so fixated on a charity ball, regardless of whether she planned it or not.

All Sabrina knew was that she was ecstatic to have regained her memory because she had come to cherish having her friends by her side while she recovered from her painful physical injuries. Her lung was stabilized, but her broken ribs caused pain with every breath. She had surgery to set the broken bones in her leg and was frustrated that it would be nearly two months until she could resume her life. With her arm in a sling thanks to her broken collar bone, she was largely confined to her wheelchair instead of able to use crutches when she got out of bed. Sometimes Patrick or Felix would carry her back and forth to the bathroom, which was sweet but silly. Sabrina was used to being independent and, while she knew she was lucky to be alive, she was resentful of being stuck depending on others for so much. She was sitting up in her bed thinking about her upcoming stint at a rehabilitation facility near GH, when her door opened and AJ Quartermaine and Detective West poked their heads in.

"Sabrina, do you have a moment?" the detective, who'd asked her to call him Nathan, asked.

She smiled and waved them in. "Come in, guys. What's up?"

After exchanging a few greetings, Nathan said, "Official business, unfortunately, Sabrina. AJ and I need to talk to you about the day of the accident, if you are up for it."

Sabrina frowned. "Well, I'm not sure I can help, but I'll try." Sabrina had been told that her car hydroplaned and went down an embankment and that AJ stopped to help her, but no one would give her any further details, insisting that she needed to remember on her own.

After pulling over two chairs, Nathan and AJ sat and Nathan said, "I'm about to close my report on the accident and wanted to go over the events of that day with the both of you at least one time before I do so. The event is definitely going to be an accident and no one is being cited for anything, but it would help me if you could both clarify what you can about the minutes leading up to the accident."

When they looked at her expectantly, Sabrina gave them a blank stare and said, "Look, I'm so grateful for what you both have done for me, especially you AJ, but, I'm sorry, I can't remember." She sighed and said, "And, the doctors said that I may never remember the day of the accident."

"Can you remember anything at all about that day?"

"No, it's all a blank."

"Well, AJ, why don't you talk about what you saw and we'll see if it triggers anything for Sabrina."

AJ looked at Sabrina and said, "First, Sabrina, I want to thank you. It's because of you that I am now nearly a month sober. Knowing how close we both came to dying woke me up and I can never repay you for that."

Sabrina reached out with her good hand to grab AJ's in reassurance. She knew that the two of them would be bonded over this and, if she had her way, become friends. "AJ, I can never repay you for what you did for me. Thank you." (She knew would repay him by helping him stay sober and healthy to be the father to Michael that hers was never to her.)

"Ok, so back to it… As I told the cops and your…" When Nathan looked at him funny, AJ cut himself off, swallowed, and said, "Patrick, I was driving home from the liquor store and it began pouring. Suddenly, an oncoming car, which turned out to be yours, lost control and swerved into my lane. To avoid a head-on collision, I swerved toward your lane. I hit a tree on your side of the road. When I got out of the car, I noticed yours had gone down the steep embankment on my side of the road. I called at the cars that'd stopped to call 911 and ran down to see if you were OK. I found you in the front seat unconscious and slumped over the wheel. I stayed with you until the EMT's came about five minutes later."

"Did Sabrina move at all in that time?"

"Not really. I kept assuring her that she wasn't alone and that she would be OK. She did have a brief period of consciousness, but it was so fast and then she was out again for good."

"Did I say anything, AJ?" Sabrina asked, with baited breath.

"Hmm, I'm not sure." AJ seemed to think on it and then said, "Wait! I think you moaned 'hurts', 'Patrick', 'Emma', and 'love' before you zonked out again."

At AJ's recollection, Sabrina began getting flashes of memory: crying outside Patrick's, reaching for a tissue, the world spinning, darkness, and pain mixed with an almost desperate need to let Patrick and Emma know she loved them. As AJ and Nathan looked on worriedly, the flashes became a reel, as if she was watching a movie of someone else's life:

\- Crashing into Patrick

\- Crushing on Patrick and scrambling to hide it

\- The New Year's almost-kiss

\- The Nurses' Ball revelation

\- Their budding relationship

\- An inability to keep their hands off each other

\- Declarations of love in the park

\- A lovely "ambush proposal"

\- His inability to let Robin go

\- His jealousy of Carlos

\- Her fear of Robin being alive

\- His breath catching as he saw her walk down the aisle

\- Their intimately romantic honeymoon

\- The text that changed her life

\- Walking away so he could be happy with Robin

"Sabrina, are you OK? Sabrina?!" Nathan stood up and told AJ to get one of the nurses and then went to Sabrina's side and grabbed her hand. "Sabrina, please look at me. It's going to be OK. You are safe here."

Sabrina tried to concentrate on Nathan and break the hold the reel of memories was having over her, but she couldn't. Suddenly the door opened and she heard, in a familiar voice, "What the hell is going on here?"

* * *

When Patrick walked into his wife's room, he saw that detective sitting on her bed holding her good hand and looking deeply into her eyes and he lost it. Who was this guy and why was he being so familiar with his wife? When Detective West ignored him and the door opened behind him with such force that he was knocked out of the way, Patrick realized something must be off. AJ and Epiphany rushed into the room. Pip was all business, but AJ was clearly shaken and neither of them noticed him standing there.

Pip scurried to Sabrina's other side to check on her. While he could tell that she didn't like the Detective being so close to Sabrina any more than he did, she seemed to encourage him to keep her calm as she checked Sabrina over. When Patrick attempted to go to Sabrina, Pip eyed him with her death glare that said 'Not now, Drake Jr.' and he stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, Sabrina seemed to come out of whatever trance or episode she was having and turned toward him. With a look of shock and anger, she said, "You lied to me. I'm your wife, aren't I?"


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

At Sabrina's accusation, Patrick was both overjoyed and afraid. He was relieved that she finally remembered their life together so that they could finally put the past behind them and move forward. But, on the other hand, he was scared of the look Sabrina was giving him. It was a combination of shock and anger that he wasn't sure what to make of. He decided to take things one step at a time, so he answered "Yes."

* * *

Sabrina was discombobulated. She was happy to finally have the missing pieces of her life back, but angry that everyone had lied to her. She was also confused because she didn't 'feel' the memories. They were there, but they weren't hers. The couple she saw on the movie reel was head over heels in love, but she felt none of that. She, of course, adored Emma and liked Patrick, but she felt no romantic spark for him. What was she going to do now?

After Patrick confirmed her suspicions, she told everyone she was fine and asked to have a few minutes alone with Patrick. Pip warned them to take it easy. AJ said he would wait outside because he needed to talk to her about something important. Nathan just stood there for a few moments staring at her as if he was making sure she was really alright. As their eyes locked and he came closer, she felt as though she was burning up and wished she had a fan. She was completely focused on him as he patted her hand and said he was glad she was okay. Only the sound of Patrick clearing his throat brought her back to reality as she thanked him for everything and promised to call if she needed anything.

When it was only her and Patrick, Sabrina asked, "So, where do we go from here?"

Patrick came over to her bed and said solemnly, "I'm not sure. We left things up in the air before the accident, but I know now what I want…and it is you. Only you, Sabrina."

He sat next to her on the bed and pushed a strand of her hair back from her face. "It always has been you. I just never knew it." And then he kissed her.

Sabrina gave into Patrick's kiss hoping that she would feel a wave of love wash over her and she would become the woman in the memory reel. As Patrick poured his love, joy and relief into their kiss, his desire for her evident, Sabrina's body responded instinctually, but her heart was not in it. Suddenly, Sabrina wrenched herself away from Patrick and pushed him backward.

Clearly confused, Patrick asked, "What? What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No, Patrick, you didn't hurt me, but I think that I'm about to hurt you."

"What do you mean?" he asked tentatively.

Sabrina took a deep breath and looked into his eyes and said, "I know what I want, Patrick, and it isn't you. I'm sorry, but I'm not in love with you anymore."

* * *

Patrick must have been hearing things because there is no way he heard Sabrina say she doesn't love him anymore. He let out an involuntary, "HUH?"

"I said I'm not in love with you. Not now."

"But…you got your memories back. We are married and we're in love…" Patrick shook his head in frustration. "I don't understand."

"Yes, I remember our relationship and that we are married, but those feelings, Patrick, they aren't mine. They are those of the woman in my mind."

Patrick mustn't have been able to keep the confusion out of his expression, because Sabrina continued to rip his heart out. "I can see the memories, Patrick, but they are playing in my mind like a movie. I don't feel the emotions that go with the memories. I'm sorry."

Patrick couldn't wrap his head around what she was saying. A movie? He finally found her again and now he was going to lose her? "So, what does that mean?" he asked, unable to keep the anger and hurt from his voice.

"Patrick, you are a wonderful man and a great friend, but I don't feel the same way about you that you do about me."

"But that could change in time, couldn't it? You could get the feelings back to go with the memories."

"Maybe. But, maybe not. So, I think we should proceed with the divorce. You deserve a woman who loves you with her whole heart and I don't want to stand in the way of that."

Patrick shot up from the bed and began pacing. "But, I don't want anyone else but you. I love YOU."

Sabrina looked at him with pity. "I think it's for the best, Patrick. We both need to move on."

"Like hell it is!" he exclaimed furiously.

* * *

It hurt Sabrina to see Patrick in pain, but she had a long recovery ahead of her and she felt the right thing to do was set him free. "Patrick…"

"No! Hear me out." He pulled on of the chairs over to the bed, sat down and pled his case. "I wasted too much time already and I'm not wasting any more. I just want a chance to show you how good things can be between us before you throw this away."

Sabrina was never one to bury her head in the sand. Although she felt ending a marriage she wasn't committed to was the best course of action, she was swayed by his heartfelt plea. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Maybe your feelings will come back and maybe they won't. I pray they do. But, if they don't, then I want you to give me the chance to make you fall back in love with me."

Sabrina shook her head. "Patrick…"

"I want time, Sabrina. Give me the chance to, well, court you. If you do and you still don't want to be with me, I'll let you go. I will hate it, but I'll let you go."

"I don't know..."

Patrick begged, "Please..."

Sabrina wanted to hold out, but she didn't have the heart to refuse him. Plus, from what she could tell, she (or the Sabrina in her memories) did all the work the first time around. It probably wouldn't kill him to put in a little effort. "Alright, you win. We'll give it a shot and see how it goes."

At her agreement, Patrick jumped out of the chair and leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips. "You won't regret this. I promise!"

Patrick apologized and then made his way to the door since he had a few patient cases to consult on. After he left, Sabrina brought her good hand to her tingling lips and whispered, "We'll see."


	16. Chapter 16

_Valentines Day_

"Sabrina? Are you ready to go?" Patrick asked tentatively as he stood outside her guest bedroom. It has been nearly three months since her accident and a few weeks since she had agreed to come home with him for the remainder of her recovery. Well, "agree" might not be totally accurate considering he'd finagled the doctors into releasing her to home care with him rather than to an inpatient rehab. Since Sabrina hadn't regained her feelings, Patrick thought that proximity might make them come back or at least help her start to love him again, so he took a leave from GH so he could be with her 24/7 while she recuperated through outpatient doctor visits and therapy.

They were getting along really well, as they quickly regained their friendship, but Sabrina was still stubbornly resisting him romantically. Although she allowed him to flirt with her and would even flirt back, she would put on the brakes every time he tried to make a serious move. To have Sabrina, who he loved with everything in him, be so close but so far away was agonizing in a way he never thought possible.

Patrick was pulled from his thoughts when the door opened to Sabrina all dolled up in a red wrap dress he'd never seen before. It looked beautiful on her, hugging her curves in all the right places. "Wow...," he blurted.

Sabrina blushed. "Thanks." Then, leaning on her crutches, which she hated, Sabrina limped her way out. "I guess we should go."

Though Sabrina had made tremendous progress, her recovery wasn't going as fast as she would like and Patrick could tell she was getting frustrated. Patrick thought it was fortunate her collarbone and ribs healed so quickly, but Sabrina was discouraged by having to limp around on crutches for another couple of months. Despite the doctors being optimistic that the cast would come off soon and she would likely have no issues regaining full use of her leg, Sabrina was impatient to heal and get back to her normal life.

As he lead her down the hallway, hand lightly placed on her back (part for stability and part because he wanted to touch her), he said, "You look beautiful. Is that new?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled, "Yeah. I saw it at the mall when I went with Felix and just fell in love with it." She grew quiet for a moment and then added, "And I thought you would like it, so..."

At her comment, Patrick had to stop himself from reacting noticeably. He was giddy that she had thought about what he would like because it meant she wasn't nearly as detached from him - from them - as she let on. "I do. A lot."

When they got to the living room, Emma bounded up to Sabrina and complimented her. The two had an adorable conversation as Patrick got their coats. After helping Sabrina into hers, Patrick donned his, said goodbye to Emma and Sarah, his new sitter, and helped Sabrina to the car.

If tonight went how he hoped, he and Sabrina would be closer to reconciling than ever.

* * *

As Sabrina sat in the passenger seat of Patrick's SUV, she tried to remain calm. The past few weeks living with Patrick and Emma had been difficult because she was remembering why she fell in love with them in the first place and it was getting hard to keep some distance. She didn't want him and Emma counting on everything going back the way it was before just in case he wasn't the Romeo he claimed and she didn't fall head-over-heels in love with him again. At the rate she was going, however, there was a distinct possibility she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Although she wasn't in love with him, he was an attractive man and being in such close proximity to him and trying not to give in to the physical attraction she was beginning to feel for him was wearing on her. After the man went behind her back and arranged for her to recover at home with him, Sabrina had been pissed; however, because she knew he ultimately did it out of love, she tried to be understanding and make the best of the situation. Patrick was clearly longing for her, or at least the her she used to be, so having her with him was obviously the best way he could think of to break down her defenses. And, sadly, it was working.

Every time he did something remotely romantic, which was often, Sabrina wanted to melt in a puddle at his feet; but, then she would remember everything the woman in her mind went through when they were together and she would freeze. From what she could tell, Patrick's constant pining for his not-so-dead wife had taken a toll on her former self, so she wasn't in a hurry to acquiesce to his advances without making him work for it at least a little bit. Sitting here in the car next to him, dressed in a suit and tie and smelling so good, though, Sabrina's resolve started to crumble. How was she going to get through this Valentine"s date?

When they got to the Metro Court, Patrick helped her out of the car and Sabrina sighed lightly at his gentle touch. As usual, the man held onto her a little tighter and longer than was necessary, only releasing this grip when the valet cleared his throat. Patrick muttered a halfhearted, "Sorry," and then lead Sabrina into the hotel.

Once seated at what was apparently the same table where they had their first date, Patrick engaged Sabrina conversation. It was really nice to just sit and talk with him about their lives while they ate their dinner. Since they were sitting next to each other, Sabrina was affected every time he "accidentally" brushed against her. She had to give him an A for effort in wooing her when the waiter brought out two cupcakes that Sabrina could tell had been decorated by Emma. Sabrina remembered their dessert last time, so she looked at Patrick wearily. "Patrick..."

He smiled. "Don't worry, Sabrina. I'm not expecting history to repeat itself."

"Okay, because..."

He put a finger up to her lips to quiet her and then continued, "I did this because that night - and you - meant a lot to me. It makes me happy to remember and I want you to think about how we could have more nights like that if you would just open your heart to me again."

Sabrina didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. Instead, she carefully unwrapped his cupcake for him and held it up. When she smiled and nudged it toward him, Patrick got the hint and took a bite. As he chewed, she took a bite. When they were done sharing his cupcake, they shared hers. Even though they were sitting in a crowded restaurant, Sabrina felt as if they were the only two people in the room. It was lovely.


	17. Chapter 17

After dinner, Sabrina was surprised when Patrick took her to see Sleepless in Seattle for Valentine's Day, which was playing special for the holiday at one of the local independent theaters. Sabrina knew that Patrick didn't care for chick flicks, so she wasn't sure why he would willingly put himself through that kind of torture; however, once they were seated and the movie was playing, she realized why he was so quick to fall on his sword - so he could torture her.

After they finished their snacks, Patrick leaned toward her and pulled her hand into his. As the movie played, he began tracing little circles on the top of her hand with his thumb that caused tingles to race up her arm and into her body. When Sabrina eyed him and slid her hand out of his, Patrick smiled and shifted his hand onto her thigh. He never moved it. Not once. He just let it rest there as he watched the movie, gentleman that he was, while Sabrina grew a little more hot and bothered with each passing scene.

Deciding that two can play that game, Sabrina leaned closer toward Patrick so that the scent of her perfume, his favorite of hers, would permeate the air around him. Then, she subtly placed her hand on top of his and began doing to him what he'd done to her. When she did that, he turned his head in surprise, but Sabrina just smiled innocently and resumed watching the movie. Unfortunately, Patrick didn't do the same this time. Instead, he continued to stare at her, his confusion replaced by desire. All of Sabrina's attempts to get him to turn his attention back to the move were futile, so she spent the rest of the time pretending to be unaffected by his undivided attention. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

As he drove home, Patrick worked hard to keep his attention on the road and off of Sabrina. Although the drive back to his place from the theater was short, it felt as though it was taking forever. He hated chick flicks, but thought himself clever at his idea to continue their romantic date by taking Sabrina to see Sleepless in Seattle, one of her favorite movies. Since he had no interest in actually watching the movie, he used it as an opportunity to continue trying to reawaken Sabrina's attraction to him. Little did he realize (and he should have) that that kitten had claws. When she turned the tables on him, Patrick had been floored, as he honestly hadn't expected her to do it. But, the fact that she did was encouraging because it meant that she was as affected by him as he was by her despite her denials and aloofness.

When they arrived home, Patrick parked the car and went to the passenger side to help Sabrina out. After grabbing her crutches from the back seat, he opened her door and lifted her from the seat, holding her closer and longer than really necessary. Unlike at the restaurant, however, Sabrina whispered his name in a scolding but teasing tone. Releasing her and holding out her crutches, he winked and said, "You can't blame a guy for trying." At that, Sabrina smiled and rolled her eyes and began limping up the walkway to the front door.

Once they were inside, Patrick paid Sarah and checked on Emma after helping Sabrina remove her coat and sit down on the couch. When he returned, Sabrina looked up, "How's Emma?"

Patrick sat next to her, "She's out cold. When she sleeps like that, I'm not sure a nuclear bomb would wake her up."

He was surprised when Sabrina offhandedly commented, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When you're out like that, not much wakes you up." As Sabrina went back to checking her email on her iPhone, Patrick stared.

"What?"

Not wanting to spook her, Patrick answered, "Nothing." Then, loathe to end the night but aware that she had an early doctor appointment tomorrow, Patrick said, "Are you ready for me to help you to your room?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. It's kind of late."

When they reached Sabrina's door, Patrick reached around her to turn the knob so she could go inside. As he did so, he leaned into her back and lingered there, whispering, "Sweet dreams."

Instead of going inside, however, Sabrina surprised him by leaning back into his body and craning her neck so she could look at him. "You, too. Thank you for tonight. It was lovely."

Never one to squander an opportunity, Patrick responded, "It really was," right before he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.


	18. Chapter 18

By the time Emma's spring dance recital rolled around, Sabrina was off of her crutches and eager to get back to her normal life. She still had to use a cane for support, but, ever stubborn, she tended "forget" to bring it with her more often than not. Patrick appreciated Sabrina's determination, but he was concerned that she was pushing herself too far too fast. If she didn't allow her leg to heal properly, there was a chance she could have issues with it for the rest of her life and he didn't want to see that happen to her. Unfortunately, Patrick had to toe the line between being there for Sabrina and bossing her around, the latter of which she didn't take kindly to.

Ever since Valentine's Day, Patrick and Sabrina had fallen into a comfortable rhythm. After their sweet date and goodnight kiss, Sabrina began letting her guard down, which enabled Patrick to make inroads with her romantically. Though they remained in separate bedrooms, he, Emma and Sabrina had evolved into living together as a family the way they would have been if Robin hadn't returned. Unfortunately, while Sabrina now willingly spent time with him and allowed him to woo her, Patrick knew that she was still holding pieces of herself back, especially physically. To be living with her as a married-but-not-really-married couple was beginning to take a toll on him emotionally. Fortunately, Sabrina's progress allowed him to go back on rotation at the hospital part-time and distract himself from his frustration.

Patrick was pulled from his thoughts by Emma, who bounded out of her room in her leotard. "Daddy! Are you ready to go? I don't want to be late."

"Yeah. Did you ask Sabrina' if she's ready?"

"No. I knocked on her door, but she didn't answer," Emma answered absently as she stuffed her dance supplies and clothes she needed at Robin's into her duffel.

Patrick began walking toward Sabrina's room as he said, "I'll go check on her. Why don't you finish getting ready and then we'll go?"

When he reached Sabrina's room, Patrick knocked on Sabrina's door and waited. When she didn't answer, he knocked again and asked, "Sabrina? Are you ready to go?" Patrick was about to turn the knob when the door opened to Sabrina with a false smile. Concerned, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Sabrina tried to hide a wince as she exited the room and pulled the door closed behind her. "Yeah, sorry, I'm just running a little late." She limped by him. "We should get going so Emma gets there on time."

Patrick reached out and grasped her by the shoulder to gently halt her. "What's wrong, Sabrina? I can tell you aren't yourself."

Sabrina sighed and turned around to face him. "I'm just having some pain today in my leg, but I'll be alright. Let's go. We dont' want to disappoint Em's."

"Where's your cane?"

"In my room."

"Sabrina…"

"What?" she asked with a frown.

"Use your cane or your crutches if you're in pain. You are _so_ stubborn."

When Sabrina hrrumphed, Patrick turned around and went into her room and got her cane. He came back out and held it up, but Sabrina didn't take it. "Go on, take it…"

Sabrina rolled her eyes, but took the cane and leaned heavily on it and Patrick noticed her relief. When he opened his mouth, Sabrina put her finger to his mouth to shush him. "Don't. Not a word." Then, she smiled and turned toward the living room. "Let's go."

* * *

By the time Sabrina and Patrick arrived home after the recital, sans Emma (who was with Robin for the night), Sabrina was in agony. She knew that she was pushing herself, but she was so tired of being dependent on others that she couldn't help but do it. Sabrina wanted to get back to a normal life, whatever that entailed in a post-accident world, because she was going stark-raving mad sitting around Patrick's house doing nothing. While her progress had been swifter than the doctors originally projected, it was still way too slow for her liking. The only good thing that came out of her accident and recovery was getting to be with Patrick and Emma again.

Although Sabrina had regained her memories shortly after the accident, her feelings for Patrick and Emma hadn't been part of the deal. She knew the woman in her mind loved them more than anything, but she hadn't - and least not initially. The therapist Sabrina was seeing as part of her recovery suggested that she'd been suppressing her feelings for a reason. While Sabrina shrugged off the suggestion at first, the longer she lived with Patrick and Emma, the more she thought that maybe her subconscious was trying to protect her from reliving the pain that accompanied the love.

Since their date on Valentine's Day, however, Sabrina had opened her heart to Patrick again and she was starting to recall why she had fallen for him so hard so fast in the first place. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Patrick was getting back under her skin and she was probably over halfway in love with him again. Although Patrick had done nothing since she woke up to justify the lingering doubts she harbored over giving into her feelings, Sabrina still couldn't seem to re-commit to their marriage fully. So, while they were living together as a family, she and Patrick were sleeping in separate, cold beds, and getting more irritable by the day. Why couldn't she just give in and take the leap of faith? What was holding her back?

Once they were in the house, Patrick walked her to her room. However, before he could lightly kiss her goodnight as he'd done every night since their date, Sabrina stopped him. The agony she was feeling was overpowering her need for independence. "Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm in a lot of pain. Would you help me?"

Patrick brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with one hand as he opened the door with the other. "Of course."

When they were in her room, Patrick helped Sabrina change into shorts and a tank top and then got her settled on the bed. Once he gave her some of her pain medication, he took off his sport coat, rolled up his sleeves and began massaging her leg the way her physical therapist had shown him. After a minute or two, the pain started to subside and Sabrina relaxed and closed her eyes, involuntarily moaning at the relief. Patrick's hands halted momentarily, but before Sabrina could question why, he resumed his ministrations. When he did so, however, something changed. No longer was Sabrina concentrating on the relief he was providing; instead, she was focused on the feel of his hands traveling the length of her leg. As his hands worked their way up from her ankle to her thigh, a trail of tingles followed and Sabrina was hit with a wave of desire as she remembered feeling the same tingles when he would caress her leg as they made love.

When Patrick's hands were inches from her hip, they stilled rather than reversing course as they usually did when he massaged her injury and Sabrina opened her eyes to find him sitting utterly still staring at her as if he wanted to devour her alive. Before Sabrina could react, Patrick steeled his features, lightly shook his head and began resuming the massage. Or at least he tried to - until Sabrina's hand shot out and stopped him.


	19. Chapter 19

When Sabrina's hand shot out and stopped his from resuming her massage, Patrick wasn't sure what to make of it. He had come into her room with the best of intentions, as he knew she was in serious pain since they left for the recital and he only wanted to help her feel better. The doctor in him allowed Patrick to detach as he helped Sabrina change, gave her the pain meds and began the massage technique her therapist had shown him. However, when Sabrina relaxed, closed her eyes and moaned in relief, he was pulled back into the role of of a husband who missed and desperately desired his wife, which compelled him to stop and take in the sight of her as he remembered her making the same sound when he caressed her as they made love. Patrick knew she saw his feelings on his face when she opened her eyes, so he steeled his features and re-erected the detachment he needed to finish what he was doing so he could leave for the night and put distance between them. If only she hadn't touched him...

"Sabrina, what are you doing?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he stared at her.

"I'm not sure," she admitted as she lifted his hands from her leg and held them in hers.

Patrick swallowed as she used her grip to pull him closer. He was already at the end of the very thin rope keeping his desire in check and this wasn't helping. He went to pull his hand away so that he would have the strength to walk out the door, but she just held tighter. Patrick wasn't one to beg, but he made an exception. "Please don't..."

When he was leaning over her, Sabina ran one of her hands through his hair as she stared intently at him. "Don't what?"

He stared back, still as a statue. "Do what you're doing. Or I won't have the strength to walk away. Not this time."

Never breaking eye contact, Sabrina pulled him closer to her. When he was inches away, she murmured, "Then don't."

Patrick's resolve to do the right thing evaporated when Sabrina wrapped her hands around his neck and crushed her lips to his.

* * *

Sabrina wasn't sure what has possessed her to make a move on Patrick, but the moment their lips touched, she knew instinctively that it was the right choice. Her observation that Patrick looked like he wanted to devour her alive hadn't been very far off the mark. The moment his resistance crumbled, he gave himself over to their kiss with a fervor that made her all warm and gooey inside.

When Patrick, who had been standing over her by the bed, put a knee on the mattress and vaulted over her to land beside her, Sabrina pivoted and willingly plastered herself against him. As they kissed, his hands roamed her body as eagerly as they had the very first time the two of them made love. Sabrina responded by pulling his dress shirt out of the waistband of his khakis and exploring his torso. When Patrick sighed in pleasure at her touch, Sabrina realized she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Sabrina didn't know what the future held for their marriage, but she didn't need to have all the answers in order to give her body to a man who clearly cherished it. They would figure everything else out eventually. When Sabrina pulled her hands from under his shirt and started to unbutton it in a silent message to let him know she was ready to take the next step, Patrick broke the kiss and stalled her hands. "Are you sure about this? Because, if you aren't, then you need to let me leave now."

When Sabrina nodded confidently, Patrick let out the breath she could tell he'd been holding and ground out, "Thank God," as maneuvered her beneath him on the mattress and covered her body with his.


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning, Sabrina, who'd slept blissfully for the first time in ages, opened her eyes to see Patrick staring down at her and smiling. Sabrina stretched as she wished him a good morning.

"It really is," Patrick replied as he brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. After pulling away, he continued staring at her, so Sabrina eyed him and asked, "What?"

In a voice of disbelief, he answered, "This going to take some getting used to, that's all. Part of me still doesn't believe you and me here together is really happening."

Surprised at Patrick's unusual waiver in self-confidence, Sabrina propped herself on her elbows, smiled and whispered, "If you don't believe it, I'd be happy to prove it to you."

He smirked as he leaned down toward her waiting lips. "That might be a good idea. Just to be certain."

* * *

Face buried in the crook of Sabrina's neck, Patrick struggled to catch his breath as the wave of pleasure began to subside. He'd missed this, missed her, so much and he still couldn't believe that Sabrina had finally given in and recommitted to their marriage. When he'd regained his equilibrium, Patrick shifted away from his wife and admired her as she brought a shaking hand to her forehead and uttered a soft, "Wow..."

"That's one word for it," he said as he laid on his side and used his free arm to pull her close.

Sabrina crooked her head and smiled brightly at him and Patrick felt complete. This is how it should have been the whole time, and would have been if he hadn't been such an idiot. He was glad Robin was home and safe, but was sad that it took Sabrina almost dying for him to wake up and realize that he was no longer in love with his ex.

The two of them laid there together in comfortable silence until the alarm on Patrick's phone went off. He reached for it, turned it off and grunted, as he was due at the hospital for a consult and, at the moment, it was the last thing he wanted to do. In response to his grunt, Sabrina laughed and pushed on his arm. "You don't want to be late. Don't worry. I'll be here when you get back."

Intrigued, Patrick asked, "Here? In this exact position?"

Sabrina reached back and slapped him playfully on the cheek and then moved away from him. "That's not what I meant, but if it helps you get through the day - sure."

Loathe to leave her, he reluctantly got up and began gathering his clothes. "This is good, but our bedroom would be better," he said, only half joking. When Sabrina didn't answer, he looked over at her and saw her frowning. "What's wrong?"

Sabrina got out of bed and put on her bathrobe. "Patrick, this was amazing, but I think I may have given you the wrong idea."

"Huh?"

Sabrina walked over to him. "What happened between us doesn't mean what I think you think it means."

Patrick froze. "Wait... I thought this meant you were willing to recommit to our marriage. To move back into our bedroom and live with me as my wife. Are you saying that's not the case?"

When Sabrina didn't say anything and briefly looked away guiltily, Patrick's heart sank and he became angry. "So, what? Was this just a roll in the hay? Did you gave an itch you needed to scratch and I was convenient?"

Sabrina reeled back. "No! Of course not! You have been so amazing to me since I came to stay with you and I really care about you. I wanted to be with you because I'm attracted to you and I'm tired of fighting off the current between us, not because I needed to get laid and you happened to be there."

While Patrick knew her words were supposed to make him feel better, they just made him feel worse and added fuel to the fire raging inside him. "You didn't come stay with me, Sabrina, I brought you home with your family. I'm your husband and I love you and I wanted to show you that you are the woman I want. I'm committed to our marriage, but I'm honestly sick and tired of jumping through hoops to prove it."

Sabrina, now angry too, said, "Can you really blame me for having doubts about jumping back into this with you? You absolutely destroyed the woman in my mind with your pining for your not-so-dead wife. I'm falling in love with you, but I can't just sweep aside the fact that it took me almost dying for you to realize you wanted me instead of Robin. What if I hadn't been in that accident? Would you have chosen me?"

"It's irrelevant, Sabrina, because you were in the accident and I chose you. I want you and our marriage. Comparing the man - the husband - I am now to the Patrick I was before isn't fair because I can't take back anything that happened." Stuff in hand, Patrick stalked to her door and opened it. "You either need to accept the past and move on from it by committing to to our marriage, now, today, or you can bail."

"Patrick..."

"I have to go. I'm late. When I get home, you need to let me know if you are staying here as my wife or as a guest until you heal. The choice is yours."


	21. Chapter 21

**A note to my readers:**

Dear readers,

As you may or may not know, I recently had a baby boy. In my naivete, I assumed I would be able to write while I was off from work because I'd have so much "free time" on my hands. Little did I know how wrong I was. Every time I pick up the computer to write, LO starts crying, so I have been unable to write during most of my maternity leave. I want you to rest assured that I plan on continuing ALL of my stories and even writing more for your enjoyment. Unfortunately, updates may be a little fewer (at a time) and farther in between since I am going back to work and have LO to take care of. I appreciate your patience and continued readership.

Thank you so much for reading my stories! Words can't express how much it means to me. Seeing the viewership and reading your reviews always brightens my day. If you ever have story ideas or thoughts on a scene you would like to see, feel free to PM me and you just might see it pop up!

_(I am updating this as a chapter in all my stories. When an actual chapter is ready, I will take this down and re-upload.)_


	22. Chapter 22

_The Fourth of July_

Sabrina was off the cane and back at work. Unfortunately, her physical therapist hadn't cleared her to work on full duty yet, so she was basically "riding a desk" when she was there. She was at the nurses' station filling in her notes on a chart when she saw Patrick walking toward her. She held her breath as he approached, not sure of how this scene was going to play out. Sabrina had been unable to re-commit to their marriage after they made love a few months ago. She wanted to commit to him so badly, but something inside her just held her back. Patrick had been devastated, but hadn't gone back on his word to let her stay while she healed. However, when the tension between the two of them started affecting Emma, Sabrina decided to move back in with Felix for the remainder of her recovery. Although she still spent time with Emma, Patrick became cold and distant, only speaking to her whenever necessary. Now that she was back at work, he had to speak with her.

Patrick came up to the desk, looked at her coldly and rattled off some mundane work-related tasks he needed her to take care of. Then, he turned to walk away. Before she could stop herself, she blurted his name.

He paused and turned back around. "What, Sabrina? I have to go pick up Emma for our picnic at the park."

Sabrina stepped down from the station and tilted her head toward an empty exam room. "Can we talk for a minute? It's important."

Once the two of them were alone in the room, Patrick walked over to the counter and put his charts down. He turned around to face Sabrina and crossed his arms defensively. "So, what do you need to talk to me about?"

Sabrina swallowed nervously. How would she get this out with things so frosty between them? "I, ah, needed to talk to you about us."

"Us? There hasn't been an 'us' in a long time, Sabrina. Not since we slept together and then you broke my heart by refusing to commit to our marriage."

Sabrina said, "Yeah, about that…" but before she could finish her sentence, Patrick reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled something out. He fingered the papers for a moment and then shoved them toward her. "That reminds me. These are for you."

Confused, Sabrina reached for the papers. "What are these?" she asked as she opened them.

"Your divorce papers. I signed them."

"Divorce papers?" Sabrina echoed quietly. This was so not how she had planned for this conversation to go.

"Yeah. I'm letting you go, Sabrina," Patrick said as he swiped at his eye as nonchalantly as he could muster. "Despite everything I've done to prove otherwise, it's clear you'll never trust me when I tell you that you are the woman I love and want to be with, so I think it's best we make a clean break."

"Patrick, I…"

* * *

Patrick watched Sabrina try to process the news that he'd signed the divorce papers and was letting her go. It wasn't what he wanted, but he didn't know what else to do. This was his last-ditch effort to get Sabrina to see reason. Patrick hoped that the prospect of really losing him and Emma would be enough to shake her to her senses. Signing the divorce papers was hard for him, but giving them to her was even harder. If this backfired on him, then he was giving her a ticket to freedom. In the end, though, Patrick knew he couldn't make their marriage work on his own. If she wasn't "all in" then there was no point in prolonging the inevitable.

As Sabrina sputtered his name, Patrick talked over her. "You'll see they are all in order. All you have to do is sign them and give them to Diane to file. Then this will all be over."

"Over?"

Patrick turned away from her under the guise of picking up his charts and took a deep breath. Then, he steeled his features and turned back to her. He walked toward her and stopped in front of Sabrina. "And we can both move on with our lives."

"Move on?" Sabrina asked confusedly. She clearly hadn't been expecting this from him. Instead of kissing the confusion off her face like he wanted to do, he simply sidestepped her and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.


	23. Chapter 23

Later that day… at the park

"Earth to Sabrina…"

Sabrina looked up from pushing her dinner around on her plate to see AJ staring down at her. "Huh?"

AJ sat down on the bench across from her, put his food down and twisted the cap of his water. Chuckling, he asked, "Where were you just now?"

Sabrina gave up pretending to eat. "Thinking," she muttered.

"You mean you're thinking about how you should be with Patrick and Emma today instead of with me and the rest of us crazy, dysfunctional Quartermaines?"

Sabrina reeled back. "What are you talking about?"

AJ reached across the table and grabbed Sabrina's hand. "Sabrina, you're like a sister to me. Seeing you in that car wreck was what pushed me to get sober and having you supporting me the way you do helps keep me that way."

Sniffling back tears, Sabrina squeezed AJ's hand as he continued. "So, as your unofficial big brother, it's my duty to tell you that you're an idiot."

"What?"

"I know how much Patrick hurt you, Sabrina, but what you're doing to him isn't any better. You're punishing him for the past instead of looking to the future. I saw him the night of the accident and it was obvious, as he had me by the throat in thinking that I had something to do with it, how much he loves you."

"He did that? Really?" Sabrina chuckled lightly, but then sobered. "That's my problem, AJ. It took me nearly dying for him to decide he wanted me and not Robin. What if I hadn't been in the accident? Would he have chosen me?"

"Playing 'shoulda, coulda, woulda' isn't going to get you anywhere, Sabrina. The point is that he did choose you. The question is… What are you going to do about it now?"

* * *

Patrick did his best to put on a happy face for Emma. The last place he wanted to be was here in the park on this day, but Emma liked the fireworks and he'd promised the family he would bring her. Patrick sat on his blanket pushing his food around on his plate as he watched Emma play happily with little Georgie while Maxie ate.

"Earth to Patrick," he heard from behind him as a familiar hand touched his shoulder. He reached up and patted the hand he knew so well and said, "Hi, Robin."

"Mind if I sit?" she asked tentatively. When Patrick gestured toward the empty seat on the blanket, Robin bent down and sat. The two of them sat in companionable silence watching Emma and Georgie play. When Robin spoke up and said, "You're an idiot," Patrick stared.

"Excuse me?"

Robin took a bite of her cake and continued, "I said you're an idiot."

"How exactly am I an idiot?" Patrick asked, clearly confused.

"Because you're sitting here moping when I have it on good authority that Sabrina is celebrating her holiday with the Quartermaines just a swingset and a few rows of hedges away."

"She is?" Patrick asked excitedly before he could stop himself.

"Yup. I ran into Elizabeth and the kids as I was getting the food out of the car and she told me that she was meeting AJ there, who told her that Sabrina was picnicking with him and the family." Then Robin grew silent and smirked as she chewed her food.

Patrick said, "Don't look at me like that. It's not that easy."

"Why? There are plenty of us here to keep an eye on Emma while you go visit. Or, you could take Emma over under the guise of visiting Cameron."

"I can't. I signed the divorce papers. I'm giving her space."

"You did _what_?!"

Patrick tried to shush Robin in fear of drawing attention. "I don't want to end things, but I didn't know what else to do."

Understanding dawning on her face, Robin said, "Ahhh… so you think that signing the divorce papers will get her to take you back in fear of losing you." She took a sip of water. "You know, now that I think about it, you two deserve each other."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're both letting your pride and hurt feelings get in the way of your happiness." With that, Robin stood up and began yanking on his arm trying to pull him up.

"What are you doing?" he asked, amused by Robin's inability to move him.

"Get up, Patrick. Go tell her that you're as much of an idiot as she is."

When he didn't move, she pointed toward the Quartermaine camp and said, "Now!"

Patrick rolled his eyes, but he got up.


	24. Chapter 24

Hand on her abdomen, Sabrina was looking up at the fireworks, which had just started, as she turned the corner hedge and ran smack-dab into a body. "Sorry!" she exclaimed as two hands reached out to steady her.

The hands held her arms tighter as a voice she knew all-too-well answered, "It's no problem."

Looking up and momentarily forgetting to breathe, Sabrina smiled. "Patrick… Hi."

He smiled back. "Hi." And Sabrina melted. In that moment, she knew that AJ was right. She was in love with her husband and she would be a fool to let him go. So, instead of stepping back to put some distance between them, Sabrina stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

She could tell that a kiss was the last thing he'd been expecting when his breath hitched and he stood motionless. When Sabrina playfully bit his bottom lip, he came out of the trance and began kissing her back with a fervor she willingly matched. When Patrick pulled her toward him, Sabrina went willingly. Reveling in the feel of being in Patrick's arms, Sabrina felt like they were the only two people in the park

After what felt like forever, but was really just a few seconds, Patrick and Sabrina broke apart.

Patrick hesitated for a moment and then said, "Well...that was unexpected."

Sabrina nervously swiped a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I suppose it was."

"I was actually on my way to see you. I think we should talk."

"Really?" Sabrina asked, ridiculously glad to hear that. "Because I was coming to see you, too."

"Great minds think alike," Patrick said on a smile as he pulled her toward a nearby bench. They sat down and Sabrina looked up toward the sky and uttered, "It's beautiful."

Sabrina heard Patrick say, "One of the most beautiful things I've seen," and flashed back to their first Fourth of July together.

"We were so happy back then. Even as crazy as everything was with Britt, looking back, things seemed so much simpler…"

"Who'd have thought, huh?" Patrick mused.

Tired of beating around the bush, Sabrina took a breath and said what she'd come to say. "I'm not signing the divorce papers. I love you and want to be with you. I'm so sorry for not trusting you. And… I'm pregnant."

* * *

Patrick's ears were ringing. He wanted to focus on everything Sabrina had said, but the only word pinging in his brain was, "Pregnant?"

Sabrina smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I tried to tell you about the baby earlier, but you dropped the divorce papers on me and I never got the chance."

Patrick was ecstatic. He pulled Sabrina into a hug and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I can't believe this! This is amazing!"

"I'm so glad you're happy. I know the timing wasn't great, considering…"

Patrick cupped her cheek. "Sabrina, I love you, too. I never wanted the divorce. I was just trying to, I don't know, scare you into admitting that you love me and didn't want to lose me."

Patrick sighed when she cupped his cheek, too. "Well, it worked. I was so busy dwelling on the past that I couldn't see the future that was staring me in the face. We can't change the past, but we can decide our future. And I want you in mine."

"Good. Because I want you in mine. I love you, Sabrina. So much." Patrick swiped a tear from her eye. "And just so you know, it didn't take you nearly dying for me to choose you. I knew you were the one I wanted the moment you the door closed behind you that day. If only I'd come after you…."

"You really chose me first?" Sabrina asked, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Yes."

When Sabrina happily jumped into his arms, Patrick caught her. He never let go again.

_**THE END **_

_**Hope you enjoyed it. Look for an epilogue soon!**_


	25. Chapter 25

**EPILOGUE**

_A few days later..._

Patrick smiled as Sabrina sat beside him in his SUV. "Where are we going?" She asked impatiently as her hands tugged at the lightly-tied blindfold over her eyes.

Patrick reached over and swatted her hand away. "I'm not telling and you'll ruin the surprise if you peek."

Sabrina huffed and crossed her arms defiantly. "The not knowing is killing me..."

"We're almost there, Sabrina. I think you can manage a few more minutes, can't you?"

Sabrina grumbled in response and sat silently for the few minutes it took him to get to their destination. The morning after he and Sabrina had finally gotten their family back together, Patrick threw himself into arranging this surprise for her. Once Patrick parked the car, he got out and walked around to the passenger side to help Sabrina out. Just like when she was recovering, he pulled her against him "accidentally" and held her for a moment. When Sabrina whined his name, he reluctantly let her go and began guiding her up the walkway with one hand while the other instinctively reached into his pants pocket to make sure he hadn't forgotten the most important element.

After they were inside, Patrick stood behind Sabrina and slowly lifted her blindfold. "Surprise," he said sweetly as she viewed the scene before her.

Sabrina gasped in pleasant surprise when the blindfold was removed and she saw that they were standing in the foyer of the church where they got married. Sabrina walked over to their engagement picture, which was sitting on the table where it sat the day of their wedding. Tracing the edges of the frame lightly, Sabrina asked, "What are we doing here? What's going on Patrick?"

Patrick quietly said, "You'll see" as he grasped her hand and pulled her with him through the door to the sanctuary - which was empty except for the collection of candles illuminating the room. Sabrina looked all around the candlelit room as she followed Patrick to the altar. Once they were there, Patrick reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out her wedding rings. Smiling, he asked, "Will you marry me again?"

Sabrina took her rings and held them in her hand. How could she have forgotten all about them? Patrick had never taken his off, but she hadn't worn hers since the day she left him. Looking from the rings to Patrick's hopeful face, Sabrina whispered, "Yes"

At that, Patrick gently picked the rings up from the palm of her hand. He turned her hand around and slid them back on her finger. When he was done, he raised it to his lips and gave it a featherlight kiss. When Sabrina went to pull her hand away so she could reach up and kiss him, he stopped her. "I know I am eminently kissable, but we aren't at that part yet."

"Huh?" Sabrina asked, confused.

"I have something I need to say first." Sabrina then worked to hold back tears of joy and love as Patrick professed that his past was his past and he was committed to a future with her, Emma and their baby. He admitted that he had taken her love for granted, spending most of their relationship pining over Robin, but that he would never make that mistake again. He promised to live the rest of his life appreciating what they have together and vowing to do his best to make every day better than her last.

When Patrick was finished, Sabrina told him how much she loved him - always had and always would. She vowed that she would trust in his love for her. When Robin came back, it killed Sabrina to see Patrick so torn between them, so she walked away to give him what she believed he had wanted all along despite the cost to her heart. She hadn't believed Patrick was over Robin, so she didn't trust that the life they built could withstand such a curveball. Sabrina was never so happy to be wrong. She was grateful to have a second chance with him and she was committed to making the most of it.

After exchanging their private vows, Patrick leaned down and kissed Sabrina sweetly and then pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you," Sabrina whispered as she held on for dear life. Patrick echoed her and then backed away slightly. "Emma's with Robin, so we have the house to ourselves. How 'bout we get out of here so I can show you how much I love you instead of just telling you?"

Sabrina pulled away and smiled. Grabbing his hand as she turned to walk down the aisle, Sabrina said, 'I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

_The following Fourth of July..._

Sabrina thought that it couldn't get any better than this. She was snuggled tightly next to Patrick on the bench. His one hand was draped over the back of the bench across her shoulders while the other held Emma close, who was staring at the fireworks in awe. After planting a light kiss on Sabrina's temple, Patrick smiled as he stared down at little Gabriel as he rested cozily in her arms. Sabrina followed Patrick's gaze and looked at the little tyke, cotton balls sticking out of his ears, as he slept straight through the show.

_**Hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading! :)**_


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